HR 9w Josis the Woodcrafter
by slytherinsal
Summary: 1-1-2524 to 15-8-2524 Josis and her new friend Redlan go to the Woodcrafter Hall to complete their training before Josis is to go with Vorinia to the Weyr to attempt Impression. Like her cousin H'llon,Josis proves innovative and ready to interfere at need
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Josis was distinctly nervous to be going to the Woodcrafter Hall, a place she vaguely remembered from her early childhood; so much had happened in the last turn and a bit, she sometimes found it hard to believe that it was real!

It had seemed like a terrible nightmare back when she was just thirteen, almost seven turns before, when the carelessness of another had killed her father, leaving a bereaved daughter and apprentice stripped of her knots by Holder Vorn, because sending her to the Woodcraft Hall was too much trouble, especially when he wanted a personal drudge for his revolting spoilt daughter, Vorinia. The next few turns had been awful.

And then a trip to the Weyr had given Vorinia furiously to think; and to ask Josis if she really was as revolting as she had been told she was. From a frank discussion had arisen friendship; tentative at first, but growing stronger as Vorinia made determined efforts to improve herself, and when both girls were away from Holder Vorn, fostering at Northfork Runnerhold.

There Josis discovered that her cousin Hallon was now Bronze Rider H'llon, who had taken deposition of her story: and had arranged compensation for her. Holder Tragen of Northfork had also arranged for her to resume her apprenticeship under his Master Woodcrafter, Pettar, alongside the Master's nephew Redlan, a senior apprentice. Redlan had been rather tonguetied at first with the introduction of a pretty girl into the crafthall; but over the turn he had managed to blossom out somewhat, providing safe subjects like wood crafting were adhered to!

Josis was delighted to find that, once back with wood, the craft came easily to her. Pettar had a pole lathe, that was not, he explained, quite so good as a treadle lathe; but quite adequate for everyday needs.

And a turn on, Josis and Redlan were both on their way to the Woodcrafter Hall in the hopes of qualifying as Journeymen over the next turn; by which time she hoped to be able to stand for Impression at High Reaches Weyr with Vorinia, her own ambitions of Impressing held back by having seriously crippled herself in saving the life of another girl, an action that would have been inconceivable to the old Vorinia!

oOoOo

H'llon took both youngsters to the Woodcrafter Hall; a serious honour to arrive on a Bronze Dragon – and an honour too, to be escorted by a man now Master of a new craft! H'llon could not stay; as he said, he had to turf out drunken Lords Holders, Masters, and other sundry people from the Inauguration Feast of the Craft of Printcrafting. H'llon was however determined to escort his own young cousin personally to the Woodcrafter Hall, and her friend Redlan too!

Two young women met the newcomers; one was a pretty girl with rich chestnut hair and creamy skin; the other, with more charisma than conventional beauty, was brown of hair, skin and eyes, the last with golden flecks that danced with lively intelligence. Both wore Journeyman's knots.

"This is Sadvia, and I'm Elissa" said the lanky young woman with golden flecked eyes. "You'll dorm with Isrona, Josis, and Sadvia, who's in charge there. I'm afraid you'll be the oldest unless we get others in to confirm. I was H'llon's apprentice at the Weyr, so feel free to come and ask me questions about it! I hear you've both had access to a lathe?" she glanced at Redlan as well.

He flushed and nodded wordlessly.

"Pole lathe; I learned to build one too" said Josis. "Redlan already knew how, turns since. It's a pleasant occupation, we are both looking forward to trying out treadle lathes."

Elissa nodded.

"You'll find them easier to use than pole lathes once you've got over the shock of how fast you can turn the stock! Master Gerney will be glad to have a couple of older ones capable of turning; his oldest special just made Journeyman and has gone to teach turning as a new skill at Threewoods Crafthall in the High Reaches. I'm his other special and I also have fosterlings that take some of my time, of whom two are two of the three of his newest specials and them just babes of twelve turns! Redlan, I've arranged you to be in a dormitory with senior apprentices about your own age; you're sixteen, aren't you?"

The boy nodded, blushing again.

"Yes, Journeyman" he managed.

"Tirlo'll look out for you, and Teerel will too, until you find your feet; some of their cronies went with the new teaching Journeymen to Threewoods to be assistants. Tirlo and Teerel are both decent boys, both craftbred, but please try not to second-guess Tirlo when he stutters, he gets there eventually and he gets intensely irritated when people try to speak for him."

"I, er, I guess I can appreciate that, ma'am" said Redlan, managing to find his tongue.

"Elissa will do if it's not in a formal situation" said Elissa. "Good, I'll show you over. Sadvia will take you, Josis; we're not formally started on the new Turn yet, you'll have a day or two to find your ways about and meet the Masters before lessons start again."

Josis and Redlan both murmured thanks; and let themselves be drawn away, quite overwhelmed!

oOoOo

Tirlo and Teerel quickly made the new boy welcome, and introduced him to two others, slightly younger lads, recently come to Lemos from Threewoods. One was a boy named Keltor, who had come because a senior Journeyman had been placing pressure on his mother through punishing him unduly, Teerel explained succinctly. Teerel had a twisted spine and claimed a twisted sense of humour to go with it, but beyond this cryptic explanation he was quite reticent.

"We don't gossip about it, you know" he said "It's bad for the craft and it's all sorted out now. But Keltor's new and might like a friend, although you're older. And Horslas is new too, nearly our age, and he's been led astray so he's trying to start over again; perhaps you'd be nice to him too."

There was apparent history between Horslas and Keltor, who did NOT like each other at all. That Tirlo and Teerel did not seem to much like Horslas either made Redlan chary; but he gave the large, rather lumpy-looking lad a friendly enough nod. Redlan had no trouble with shyness among other boys, and was soon chattering happily about his upbringing and training with his uncle. His uncle was more a father-figure than an uncle, in truth, for Pettar and his wife Redissa had fostered the illegitimate boy from the time Pettar's sister had died birthing her son Redlan.

Redlan had heard stories of the High Reaches Weyr logicators and was amazed to find a branch here at the Woodcrafter Hall! When Teerel invited him to join, Redlan was delighted. He was really going to be happy here, and from the descriptions of the lessons, would hardly have time to be homesick.

Tirlo and Teerel also had firelizards, Tirlo's brown Hoggy fully grown, and Teerel's little green Willow still just a baby, and Redlan was glad to volunteer to help with her.

oOoOo

There were at this moment just two other girls under the motherly care of Isrona, in her craftcot, and Josis soon discovered that Isrona was another cousin of hers when Sadvia cheerfully pointed this out.

Isrona chuckled.

"Half the crafthall are related to our family one way or another, it sometimes seems! We've an extensive and talented family, including young Kisra, H'llon's sister, and Lianka and Beka through adoption by Gerney. You'll meet them later as they're spending the break with their respective immediate families, Kisra with her parents and the others with Elissa and Gerney. Seeta and Rahani have too far to go, so they won't leave the crafthall until they qualify as Journeymen."

This seemed a hard thing to have to happen, thought Josis; though had she gone to the Woodcrafter Hall before her father had died, she would have been in similar situation with him posted in the High Reaches. As it was she would never see her father again; perhaps that made her more acutely aware how hard it must be for little girls away from home who did not have to come to terms with knowing that they never could see their parents. Wanting something that was almost possible must be harder, she thought, than wishing the impossible. She determined to try to like these girls.

Seeta was a quiet girl of about fifteen turns with intelligent eyes.

"It's nice not to be the oldest any more" she said "Though I expect if you've been sent to graduate, you'll be Journeyman at next Autumn's postings. I know it'll take me another couple of turns at least to make the grade."

"And I say how nice to have someone new!" said Rahani. "I don't count Lianka and Beka being promoted to this dorm to make room for more little ones, for they're bosom cronies of Kisra anyway and you may fall over the lot of them anywhere!"

Seeta and Rahani had struck up a friendship of sorts since Rahani has moved in last turn, being the sort of opposites who attracted each other. Seeta was far better trained in woodcrafting than Rahani but gave the impression of being less accomplished since she was quiet and very modest, whereas Rahani could speak for two and was enthusiastic about all she had been learning. They seemed sufficient unto each other, and Josis thought wistfully that it was going to be a little lonely unless she might be friends with jolly-looking Sadvia, if the young Journeyman did not despise friendship with an apprentice.

Sadvia was enough of a logicator to guess what was going through Josis' mind, and grinned at her.

"I hear you've virtually passed to Journeyman despite only short training," she said, "because of the early training too, I guess. I know the story. I think you and I might have more in common than you have with the younger girls, perhaps Isrona will let us move the curtain for a SENIOR senior dormitory as you might say."

Josis smiled.

"That would be rather nice" she said. "I would like that; and perhaps you'll show me about too?"

"Oh I'd be happy to!" said Sadvia. Sadvia was a happy-go-lucky girl who made friends easily, and looked forward to having a friend who would be sharing her dormitory. Elissa's marriage and fostering had placed a bit of a gulf between the friends as marriage was not something Sadvia wanted to contemplate for a long while yet! And being a Journeyman meant that she was her own woman and had no need to do so.

oOoOo

Next morning, Sadvia showed Josis around the various workshops and introduced her formally to the Masters. Josis did not need to attend either toolcraft classes nor basic jointmaking; she had progressed beyond them long since. Therefore she had no need to do more than greet Master Jaben and the Journeyman now teaching Toolcraft, Journeyman Sanlas.

Josis was lucky to have a talent as well as having worked hard enough for two over the last turn. Acting-Master Arkis – another cousin as Sadvia chuckled, leading him to embrace his new cousin cheerily - had nothing to complain about in her free carving. They moved on to meet Master Idoghen, the cabinet-maker, who had sparing praise for her plain, but beautifully proportioned clothes press. He asked her opinion on a highly decorated press that was stood at the back of the room.

Josis surveyed it with dismay.

It had showy marquetry that was already starting to peel, and by the way it stood, it must be badly made and was warping out of shape. Surely the cabinet maker had not made this? No, his other work was exquisite, if plain; this must be a test. She could be honest.

"Oh dear" said Josis, pulling a face. "Can any wood be salvaged from it, or at least the veneer to cut smaller pieces?"

Idoghen gave a grim smile of satisfaction.

"More tact than a certain apprentice named Elissa who recommended chopping it up for firewood" he said. "But I hear in your voice similar sentiments. You're not one to be satisfied by the showy."

"I've seen too many decorative and showy Ranking youths who beat their drudges and who could not turn a day's work for me to be likely to go by appearances, sir" said Josis dryly. "Besides, the showy decoration is poorly executed like a loving wench made Holder's mistress and dangling jewels to hide the sad place in an ageing cleavage."

Idoghen actually gave a crack of laughter.

"Blunt, my dear, but a beautiful simile! Oh I must remember that next time Tuon complains my work is too plain!"

"Master Idoghen! Airing Masters' rivalries in front of an apprentice?" said Sadvia, pretending to be shocked.

"Well, my dear Sadvia, if it were serious and meant anything – as some rivalries do to some people – then we'd not let it show, would we?" said Idoghen. "Tuon and I bicker for points without it becoming serious. It's a valid debate that each apprentice must have with himself or herself about the level of applied decoration to use and how much they feel comfortable with. Tuon's view is as valid as mine – only NEVER tell him I said so!"

Sadvia laughed.

Idoghen was only being so open because of Josis' age and the fact that everyone expected her to confirm as Journeyman by Autumn.

"Oh, Master Tuon isn't really talking to me anyway since I turned down his proposal of marriage" said Sadvia.

Idoghen sniffed. It was a speaking sniff.

Josis was curious – if not entirely keen – to meet Master Tuon!

oOoOo

Master Tuon was evidently susceptible to pretty girls; he sighed gently at the sight of Sadvia – like a dyspeptic ovine, that unimpressed maiden said later – but he noticed that Josis was pretty!

Josis wore her attractiveness with unconscious grace; drudges were not pretty – not if they could avoid it, anyway – but she had blossomed with self confidence. Her green eyes sparkled with the joy of living and her complexion was healthy with much outdoor exercise and good food, and was framed by her short curls, since drudges also kept their hair short, having no time to deal with long hair. Once her unruly short locks had been neatened up by Kaili at Northfork, Josis found that it had suited her and had not troubled to grow her hair, especially as long hair was a potential risk with such things as lathes. It would too make life easier should she Impress. The colour was pretty now she had time to care for it too; a definite dark red rather than a muddy sort of chestnut that the lack of time to wash it often had led it to be for so long. Josis also dressed well, for Vorinia had an eye for style and delighted in finding her friend clothing that suited her tall, slender form and enhanced her colouring! Josis had no idea that she was an uncommonly pretty girl, comparing herself to the remarkable loveliness of her friend Vorinia; but she was no fool, and knew she was attractive, though it was of secondary importance to her skill. She ignored the Master noticing her.

"Both pieces you submitted were well done" said Tuon. "The simple tumbling-box design on that small box was smartly lined up; and the mastery of the precise angles of the diamonds that make the design shows your skill well. The brass stringing inlaid in the second box was ambitious but again, well executed."

"We had no boxwood, sir; and I don't know that I'm competent to lay in boxwood stringing. I'd like to learn" said Josis.

"It can be most effective; from a simple line if you eschew much decoration, or in curved knotwork as complex as you can manage, though that's better done as marquetry than inlay" said Tuon. "I can show you some work the senior apprentices have been doing, and my own work if you like."

Sadvia, out of sight of the Master, rolled her eyes at Josis; but Josis said,

"I'd like that; Master Pettar didn't do much decoration save to teach Redlan and me. Holder Tragen is a plain man and cares more for a quality build than for appearance. I expect that Redlan is coming round visiting with his new friends."

Tuon gave a slightly forced smile.

"Yes, indeed, he has been to see me; nice enough boy, a little immature of course….and not that interested in marquetry. What was that you said, Sadvia?"

"Sorry, Master Tuon, I coughed" Sadvia lied smoothly after covering a giggle at the Master's rather obvious tactics.

Josis enjoyed seeing works of great complexity. She thought some of the Master's work a trifle overly decorated; but that it would sell to the Ranking she had no doubt! She could not feel that the view 'the plainer the better' was right, and hoped to do well in this class. The Master, if amorous, seemed to be honourable at least, and did not make her feel soiled as some people at Lambo's Field Hold had done when she was a drudge.

oOoOo

The machinery at the sawill fascinated Josis; though not as much as the incongruity of the massive Master Challer and his chief assistant, his diminutive daughter Leichalle!

Challer told Josis that she had much to learn about the hardwoods of Lemos; but that her knowledge of trees that grew in the High Reaches was excellent.

"Master Pettar had been in the High Reaches for most of his adult life, sir" Josis said. "He did not feel qualified to give me more than the basics on the Lemos hardwoods; he said I'd soon pick it up from you."

"Hmm, well, considering the circumstances of your being here now, and not six turns and more ago, I'd say you have every chance of picking up all you need and more" boomed Challer. "You've a good grasp of safety, and that's the most important lesson anyone can learn."

oOoOo

Josis found Finishmaster Tirris less interesting; making varnishes and dyes did not intrigue her in the least, though she hoped to know exactly what finishing should be used on each piece. She preferred the natural colour of the wood to those artificially dyed; if she needed other colours she intended to use soapstone, as H'llon had told her that Elissa had pioneered, inlaying it rather than using marquetry.

oOoOo

Redlan and Josis met up in the latheshop; and Master Gerney set them to turn something each. Each had their own set of chisels of course; and they chose a lathe each. The treadling was much smoother than using a pole lathe turned by the movement of the bending and relaxing of a green pole or young sapling, and Josis found it a most soothing motion. She picked a lump of maple to carve a wood for the perennially popular game of bowls; Redlan made a spool suitable to wind leatherworker's thread on.

"Practical" Gerney approved of the spool; then turned to Josis. "A sphere; well it shows your control, but what use is it now?"

Josis stared at him.

"It's a wood, sir" she said. "To play bowls. Don't they play it here? It's popular at Northfork, we often had to make new woods as the old ones became too battered."

Gerney blinked in confusion.

"I've not come across the game" he said. "Which is not to say it is unknown here… I shall endeavour to find out. You must tell me how to play it and, er, how many, er, woods are needed."

"Six, sir, three each painted for each team, and a jack, which is smaller. The harder the wood the better of course; but maple's our best in the High Reaches. And they splinter after a while from impacting on each other. Maple is good because it resists splintering."

Gerney grunted.

"Make some of skybroom and sell 'em to Northfork; that's almost as hard as wood gets."

Josis brightened.

"THAT would go down well" she said. "Thank you, sir!"

"People need recreation. Not as useful as a spool or toolhandle; but valid" said the grim faced Master. "You both did well; I'm pleased with you."

"And better praise you won't get" whispered Sadvia. "Not from your grumpiest cousin!"

He was yet another cousin? Isrona was right, it did almost seem as though every other woodcrafter was a relative, thought Josis!


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

It occurred to Josis later that the more efficient treadle lathe might also be sufficient to turn the granite pucks used for curling; a popular winter sport throughout the High Reaches.

She resolved to speak to Master Gerney about it.

When she was able to find him with enough time to put the question she found him cautiously enthusiastic; any application of his beloved lathe that made it more indispensable to the people of Pern was good, in his view.

"Wear dragonrider's goggles and gauntlets and work only with me or Elissa present" he said. "If granite shatters or breaks the chisels – and you'll need special chisels at that, I'll speak to Sanlas – it could be dangerous. We need to know if it is possible. Plenty of hard stone in Lemos to practise with, anyway" he added dryly.

Josis grinned.

"Thank you, sir!" she said. "Do we have Rider equipment?"

"No, but I can borrow some" said Gerney. "Leave the tools and getting granite with me. I shall be interested to see how far we can push the applications of the lathe."

oOoOo

Elissa was glad too, to see experimentation; and said so.

"I feel that you're my family too," said the young Journeyman, "because I was H'llon's first apprentice at High Reaches Weyr you know! And being married to your cousin Gerney too."

Josis grinned.

"From being all alone I've a surplus of cousins now!" she said. "It's wonderful!"

"It's nice here – it feels much like an extended family even with many of those who aren't actually related," said Elissa, "and you'll find that too at the Weyr! And if you specialise in marquetry as I hear you think of doing, that'll be something Telfer is less interested in which will be good! Will you help Master Tuon teach to help you learn teaching? He's a good teacher unless you're Ranking or a pretty and older girl when he gets a little biased."

Josis grinned.

"I liked him well enough, but I'd be glad enough of half a dozen twelve-turn-olds as chaperones!" she said. "He is very good."

"He is. It's not to my taste but I appreciate the skill" said Elissa. "Are you logicating?"

"Am I what?" asked Josis, startled. She had not heard as much about the logicators as Redlan.

Elissa explained, quickly. Josis nodded.

"Yes, I see; logicators can find out things like the rights of people being stepped on, right?" she asked.

"If they get close enough to the problem, yes" said Elissa. "We're not common enough yet! If Vorinia had taken you to the Weyr when she first went, I expect we'd have sorted it out – uh, THEY'd have sorted it out" she amended hastily " – and you'd have been there studying under H'llon. But it all worked out right, I guess; just a month or two slower."

"And because I could talk to, and help, Vorinia that's two of us happy not just one" said Josis seriously. "Well if all the people who can, learn logicating, then more eyes will look for abuses. I'd like to learn."

oOoOo

Elissa and Gerney had little time for extras like logicating soon; the new apprentices started arriving, and Elissa was housing three new little girls. Their fosterling, Kispre, too was beginning a formal apprenticeship; and both foster parents were nervous about how the strange little boy would adapt to a new routine. Kispre was not yet Turned ten, and would not be so for a couple of months, but his talent was too great to hold back. Masterwoodcrafter Bendarek had agreed; too much boredom would only engender trouble, whereas directing keenness to learn would bypass that. With the encouragement of loving foster parents, Kispre had more than caught up ordinary lessons with the Hall Harper! Consequently, Elissa was hoping that the little boy would not be teased for his need for routine and rather literal approach to life.

Kispre himself was nervous, though he preferred not to admit it. It was not as if he would be miles away from his proper parents – as he thought of Elissa and Gerney – and he knew he was more than good enough to keep up with the classes. He also had his dear little firelizard, an early Turnover gift from H'llon; the little blue lizard was a partisan friend! Kispre had named him Steelsheen, thinking of the blue colouring of some of the best steel tools!

Arrival day saw Kispre sitting rather apprehensively on the roof of one of the partly submerged runways that went from the various buildings of the rambling Woodcrafter complex. He hoped there would be people who would like him!

Bursting out of _Between_ came a pair of dragons whom Kispre recognised as Iphedeth and Bimoleth, whose Riders Ch'sseri and D'vind were logicators and friends of his parents. Kispre forgot his worries and pelted over to greet his dragon friends and their Riders. Each young man had a boy riding with him, and Kispre fought with himself to stop his face closing off.

The Riders swung down easily, helping their young passengers, and smiled at Kispre.

"Hello, shortstuff, they put knots on you now, I see!" D'vind ruffled his hair. It was a liberty Kispre permitted from other logicators. D'vind went on, "Meet Tassarek and Vivion; perhaps you'd show them about?"

Kispre nodded earnestly. This was part of the duties of the son of a Master.

"Of course" he said. "Name like Tassarek he has to be Benden Weyrbred I guess. Having a firelizard also suggests weyr connections and the wherrydown lined boots and Benden cut to the wherhide jacket."

Tassarek grinned. He had shoulder length ashe-blonde hair and eyes almost as vivid a green as the little firelizard that chattered from his shoulder.

"Well you know how to notice!" he said. "My parents aren't Riders though. I've been learning some woodworking from Brown Rider G'nal."

"Oh yes, my grandfather is good" said Kispre with studied casualness. He was proud of Gerney's Brown Rider father but knew it was bad form to boast or sound too proud.

Tassarek's eyes wideded.

"Oh! You're the son of the Masterturner then? G'nal made a pole-lathe, it was real good fun!"

Kispre brightened.

"I love turning" he said. "It'd be nice if you get to be a special apprentice too. I'm hoping to. At the moment it's my two foster-sisters and my aunt, Kisra. Only if I call her aunt she boxes my ears; she's nearly thirteen" he confided.

"Large family?" asked Tassarek.

"Huge" said Kispre. "I haven't said hello to Vivion yet, and I must mind my manners."

Vivion grinned cheerily.

"Oh if you've connections in common I can wait 'til you can catch up on them!" he said. "I never tried lathe; well, not nor anything really, only the Blue and Green Riders stopped off at our cot because the ovines had broken a hedge and they were kind enough to help get them back, and they thought I carved nicely. So here I am, if a bit old. I'm thirteen."

"Oh, if you've talent, the Masters will help you catch up your age group" said Kispre, on safe ground speaking about what he knew about. "If you carve, reckon cousin – er, Acting-Master Arkis will be pleased. He's Acting-Master because his brother has gone to run another crafthall, but Arkis is sure to be made up properly. He's H'llon's best friend here – you know, Bronze Rider Printmaster H'llon of High Reaches Weyr."

Vivion's eyes widened.

"You move in important circles."

"I wasn't shooting off my mouth, but it's kind of hard not to mention H'llon" said Kispre. "As a family we just seem to Impress readily, I guess it's to do with hearing all dragons that lots of us do. Weyrwoman Lessa seemed to think it was important. At least, I don't hear all dragons, but my brother and sister do" he added. It was a long speech for the little boy.

"Shells!" Tassarek breathed. "That's so impressive! I'm kind of glad you don't though, because I want to be friends with you, and I'd not like to be jealous of a friend you know! are you a logicator?"

"I'm a junior logicator" said Kispre. "Kisra runs us. We saved a girl from being hurt last turn, she was our craftcot drudge and a man wanted to hurt her."

Tessarek was awed.

"I really want to be a logicator, it's another reason I wanted to come here" he confided.

Ch'sseri and D'vind grinned.

"Well, we'll leave you lot to it, then, shall we?" said Ch'sseri.

"Thank you, Green Rider, thank you Blue Rider, thank you Iphedeth, thank you Bimoleth" said Tasserek. Vivion also murmured thanks.

"See you around" Kispre nodded in his usual curt fashion.

"And you, kid" said D'vind, who was used to him.

oOoOo

Kispre took Vivion to a boy he knew called Larek who was talented and offhandedly kind to the younger one; Vivion was almost his age and Larek would help him to catch up. Tassarek he then took directly to the dormitory assigned to the youngest boys.

"I picked one of the window beds; you can have the bed opposite if you like" said Kispre. "We don't have to walk sweep but I'm going to."

"Me too" agreed Tassarek. "It doesn't scare me to be by a window. I'm glad you're here; I was a bit bothered I'd be picked on for being weyrbred, but you understand."

"My mother – well she's my foster mother really, like Gerney's my foster father – she's called Elissa and she's weyrbred" said Kispre. "Her parents aren't Riders either. I do know."

Tasserek sighed contentedly.

"It's going to be GREAT!" he said.

Kispre, who had never hoped to find someone who he could understand, was rather inclined to agree!

oOoOo

Elissa was much relieved to see Kispre disappear off with a lad near to his own age; and more to the point they did not re-emerge to go separate ways. More than a turn of love and understanding had made a big difference to the little boy; and now he seemed to have made a friend and be ready to stand on his own feet! Elissa would have enough to do with the three new little girls without having to worry about Kispre not settling, and she was glad that it seemed to be working out well.

The first little girl arrived in short order. Lirysa was craftbred, her father and mother both journeymen, working in an outlying craftcot. Lirysa was a friendly child, as brown as Elissa herself in hair, skin and eyes, which resemblance did not pass the little girl by, for she beamed.

"Pa says I'm his little brown weesweet, did yours?" she asked.

Elissa grinned.

"No, it never really was something that mattered; my pa is darker skinned than me, and I grew up in a Weyr where dragons come in all colours so I supposed that people did too. I'm told that you're pretty talented?"

Lirysa flushed.

"Oh….I don't know…I'm not as clever as Ma" she said. "I think of things I'd like to make but when I come to do it, I can't make my ideas work."

"Well having ideas is good; I can't ever think what to free carve, I much prefer to have clever people design woodblocks and things for me" said Elissa. "The crafthall is here to develop your skill; no-one expects you to be perfect right off!"

In some ways it was hard to have two skilled parents; the child obviously saw their expertise and was dispirited, not being mature enough to take into account the turns of work that had developed that expertise! Elissa determined to be aware of that when raising Kispre's younger siblings, and her own children when she had any; though they too would be seeing apprentices come and go with all manner of level of talent.

oOoOo

Milly arrived next. She was the child of a Marksman at Lemos Hold and Lord Asgenar himself had suggested that she develop a natural talent by formal apprenticeship.

Elissa did not take to the girl.

Milly had a closed, secretive face that held an unhealthy pallor and had a habit of glancing sideways at people. Elissa feared the child might prove sly. Milly spoke very little beyond formal greetings; Elissa hoped it might just be that she was shy and would loosen up. As she was also carrying too much weight for a healthy child, Elissa hoped that she was not suffering a serious illness that made her unable to run about, since that might also interfere with her learning. However she had noticed that the families of Marksmen who came to Gathers were often more over-indulged materially than many of the Blood and had none of the duties to keep them from self indulgence that the Blood were supposed to have.

oOoOo

Third to arrive was Adanna, who was rather taken aback and put out that she would be living at a distance from her twin brother Adan. At first glance, telling them apart was a trouble, especially as they seemed to make an effort to look as similar as possible. Both had a wild mop of black hair and blue eyes, though Adanna's face was never still as she absorbed new surrounding, a way of telling her at a quick glance from her more placid looking brother.

"I'll miss you, sis, but I guess it's the rule" he said.

"I don't want to be apart! Can't I sleep in with the boys?" demanded Adanna.

"I suspect your parents might not like that – and certainly not in a turn or two" said Elissa "And if we did allow it, some parents might withdraw girls in fear they might be made to share with boys, and that would spoil THEIR chances to be crafters. I'm sure you wouldn't want to be unfair to them, even if your parents were more liberal?"

"N- no" said Adanna who could see that this would be unfair, even if it was, in her opinion, silly.

"You'll see your twin all day, every day; if you find it truly distressing we can think of a solution like asking a married couple to foster you" said Elissa "But that would prevent you from having fun with others your age so we'll do it the normal way first. If Adan were to sleep, say, in my foster son's room he might get teased and bullied by some of the sillier of the other boys, and I don't suppose you'd want that."

Adanna considered.

"That would be bad" she conceded. "But if we're unhappy he might come to your cot?"

"Certainly" said Elissa. "I can't begin to guess what it's like to be twins and to always have been together. I should think we can make some allowances. But Journeyman Sadvia and her twin Journeyman Kyal managed quite adequately. And one day you might want to marry someone, each of you, and whilst it adds to both of you it will be a separation too. You might as well try now to see how to cope."

"I'm never getting married!" said Adanna.

"Yes, but I said that at your age," said Elissa, "and I met someone whom I loved enough to change my mind."

"Well if you're prepared to compromise if we need it, I guess we can too" said Adanna. "Can't we, twin?"

"Oh yes!" said Adan, equably.

Elissa thought it might be good for him to be separated from his forceful sister!

At least none of this turn's intake of girls so far showed the propensity for practical jokes that the last lot had displayed!

oOoOo

Another lad arrived by dragon; a young Brown dragon whose rider wore the knots of Igen Weyr.

Elissa's fosterlings turned out in sheer curiosity, Kislaia and Preslan cheerfully informing the others that his name was Coroseth and his Rider was J'ton.

Coroseth's passenger was a diminutive lad with ginger hair; and the Rider climbed down first and lifted the child and helped him to balance on his crutches.

"Oh, have you hurt yourself?" said Beka. "Our healer is very good."

"No, I was born like it. And if you can't cope with that, you can stuff off" said the boy.

"Oh, like Radall was born without legs" said Beka, nodding.

"We're having a lathe built with a hand cranked stock for him" said Kispre. "It's not as good as a treadle but it means you could use it too and be able to turn wood without needing someone to treadle for you. I can treadle for you though until it's built; I like treadling and I've got an even action."

The boy stared at them.

"You ain't swearing' at me nor callin' me no names" he said suspiciously.

"Do we LOOK half-witted?" Tassarek had come with his friend to meet a dragon-carried apprentice. "C'mon Ginger, you can have a bed next to us at the weyrish end of the dorm if you like."

"My name's Mart" said the boy "Not Ginger."

"Reckon Ginger'll stick though" said Tassarek. "I'm Tassarek; that's Kispre; and these are Kispre's various relations."

"Two of whom hear dragons!" said J'ton, awed.

"Heh, what do you expect when their uncle's a Bronze Rider?" said Lianka. "We don't know any Riders from Igen, yet, Brown Rider, do you have logicators?"

"Sort of" grinned J'ton. "We're very new to it. Do you have logicators?"

"Oh yes! Kisra's head of us junior logicators – she's settling in a couple of older boys right now or she'd be here too. We're friends with Ch'sseri and D'vind of Benden, they come to the grown-up logicator meetings. I expect you could too if you wanted" said Lianka.

"Well I might just if a grown up logicator invited me!" said J'ton. "When I've time, anyway!"

"Come on then" said Beka, taking him firmly by the hand.

oOoOo

J'ton found himself drinking klah with Elissa and Gerney and hearing tales of the Woodcrafter logicators while Mart was firmly taken care of by Tassarek and Kispre.

J'ton thought it very nice to be given courtesy without grovelling, whining, fear or an eye out to the main chance; to be treated as a friend of the family in many ways!

J'ton decided that he liked the Woodcrafter Hall and was doubly glad P'rilla in the Igen Holdless Caverns had suggested it for the lad who turned up with a massive talent for carving and deformed feet!


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Horslas had been at the Woodcrafter Hall long enough after transferring forcibly from Threewoods Crafthall to learn that any attempt at bullying was likely to be stepped on. He still, however, tried to throw his not inconsiderable weight around; and when he ordered three diminutive new apprentices to get him klah, he was stared at indignantly.

"Excuse me, have your tassels fallen off or something?" asked Kispre, it being he and his new cronies who were the said diminutive apprentices.

"What?" said Horslas, baffled.

"I asked if your tassels had fallen off" said Kispre, with some obvious patience. "'Cos you give orders that a VERY senior type senior apprentice might, but you're not wearing senior tassels."

"You insolent little scrub!" cried Horslas. "I'm older and more experienced than you and you do what I say!"

"If you're not a senior apprentice, it doesn't work like that, and certainly not things like mugs of klah" said Kispre stubbornly.

Horslas seized his arm.

Fortunately Josis had already been drifting over.

"Let go of the child" she said, coldly. "Kispre, did you ask this boy about his tassels in the spirit of sarcasm, or for information?"

Kispre looked up at her.

"For information, Senior Apprentice" he said. "He wasn't a senior before Turnover but I guess he MIGHT have been made up."

Josis nodded.

"You and your friends, beat it. Horslas, a moment."

She waited until Ginger Mart had limped out of earshot between his friends; he achieved a reasonable speed on crutches but was still slower than boys without a handicap. Tassarek and Kispre matched their speed to his.

"He was cheeky" said Horslas.

"Hardly. You have no authority over him" said Josis. "It is an accepted courtesy that younger apprentices accede to the politely worded requests to run errands of older apprentices; but sending another apprentice for klah? Whatever did your last drudge die of? You should also, by now, have learned that many of that particular family, up to and including Bronze Rider H'llon, are very literal; and when they ask questions it's generally because they want to know the answer and is no cheek. Kisra's the same, and Beka and Master Gerney. TRY to use the native wit you were born with and not make an ass of yourself; you are going to be jumped on if you try to bully the little ones, you know, or the Masters will turn a blind eye if those brats come up with little revenges!"

Horslas scowled.

"I wasn't bullying him, senior apprentice, I were just going to shake him for insolence."

"And you don't call that bullying? Great Shells, if you grew up thinking that's normal, I pity you for your home life!" said Josis. "If you do think that being shaken by a bigger person is normal, I excuse you; but you must learn that it is not, and it is not acceptable" she laid a hand on the boy's arm. "I'm always here to talk to, you know; if you want to tell me about why you get so angry. And Master Gerney is always ready to listen too. Or Acting-Master Arkis or – or any number of them! I think Master Tuon is too vain to care about the troubles of others and Master Jaben too, er, preoccupied" she added candidly of the one and more tactfully of the other. Calling a Master cranky to another apprentice would not be in keeping with her senior tassels.

Horslas was staring.

"You mean that? you want to be helpful and explain stuff? For real?"

"Of course" said Josis. "I've been bullied by an adult when I was too young to do anything about it. If you have too, I really WILL understand, you know!"

Horslas shuffled.

"Well, I'll think about it" he said, harshly, changing his mind about sharing any confidences. "May I go, senior apprentice?"

"You may. If you run, you've even time for that klah" said Josis.

Her heart was hammering; it was the first time she had used her authority as senior apprentice, and she felt slightly sick at her own temerity.

Still, it had to be done; and there had been something in the boy's eyes that made it worthwhile adding that she would help him.

Vorinia had been turned into a little monster by her father; this boy too had some background of violence that affected him. Josis hoped fervently that she could help him even as her friendship had helped Vorinia; not just for his sake but for those around him!

oOoOo

Horslas approached Redlan. He wasn't about to talk to a GIRL.

"Can I ask you some things?" he demanded. "Cos you weren't raised here, were you? Not never?"

"No, I was raised in a Runnerhold, apprenticed to its little woodhall when I was old enough" said Redlan. "I might as well be Holdbred; I was the only apprentice until Josis joined us."

Horslas nodded.

"I'm Holdbred" he said abruptly. "Maybe it makes a difference. Was it your da who was your Journeyman?"

Redlan shook his head.

"No, my uncle; he's a Master, actually. But he might as well be my father, he and my aunt raised me when I was orphaned as a baby."

"Yeah, that's close enough. This lot here, they don't think senior folks nor people older'n you ever beat on people nor shake them."

"Well of COURSE they don't!" said Redlan, visibly shocked. "Anyone in authority raising a fist to an underling is a real failure, you know! Respect is earned, it doesn't grow out of the wrong end of a clout, that's the way to lose respect from underlings who hate and despise people who do that! I can't see Holder Tragen keeping anyone in HIS Hold who thought otherwise – same as how you never whip runnerbeasts!"

Horslas stared.

"Y'mean my whole HOLD was wrong?" he demanded.

"Reckon it comes from the Holder" said Redlan. "Josis was orphaned when in a Hold run by a cruel and vicious man. The whole Hold was affected by it, people beat on those under them just because it made them feel bigger when really they felt pretty helpless after those over them had been doing the beating. It was all very sick, and the Holder's own daughter wised up to how sick it was and blew the whistle to their overlord – well, she complained to Bronze Rider H'llon which comes to the same thing – and the Holder was deposed. I don't know all the story; I reckon Josis would tell you, if you asked, I only know she was deprived of six turns of apprenticeship and was deemed good enough to be given compensation as though she had been Journeyman for three of those turns. I should think she'll confirm Journeyman this autumn. I'll probably need another turn round, but she's older too and DESERVES it for having her rights violated as well as for being so talented, so I don't mind" he added.

"You ain't never been hit?" Horslas asked, disbelievingly.

"Oh, a light cuff – not to hurt, you understand, but as a rebuke. Beaten or shaken or hit hard? No, never" replied Redlan.

Horslas stared.

"You lucky son of the Red Star!" he said.

"Nonsense" said Redlan. "Nothing lucky about it! It's Unlucky to be somewhere that sort of thing happens. Why, did your father and others beat on you?"

"Not others, da's an overseer, so no-one dared hit me, 'cos he'd give them what for" said Horslas.

"Huh" said Redlan. "But your father beat on you and on underlings. He's a bully, then, and a stupid bully because he can't find other ways of discipline. I'm sorry to badmouth your father, but that's my opinion, judging on what you've said."

Horslas scowled.

"He loves me!" he said.

"Well, I think it's a pretty funny way of showing it, but if he does, I guess he never got taught how to impose discipline any other way" said Redlan.

"Well how do you?" Horslas wanted to know.

Redlan frowned thoughtfully.

"I've never had to yet, but I'll copy methods that work for others. By showing those under you that you're better at the work they do than they are; by heeding their complaints even if you tick them off for complaining, because you need to know what's real grounds for complaint, say inadequate tools provided, and what's just a whine, but you still need to listen to find out too who whines, and who only complains about something valid. And you set punishment for transgressions that's a bit cleverer than a clout – extra work or loss of privileges I guess. I'm not experienced enough. This is what I've seen Tragen do, and he's universally respected. Also liked, though I guess it's not as necessary. It makes people want to please him, though."

"My da say, if you ain't one up, you're one down; and Banessan – my friend at Threewoods – said it was a pretty good motto."

"Oh? And were you one up, or one down to him?" said Redlan contemptuously. "Because if you take a stupid motto like that, you'll still end up being one down to SOMEONE who also adheres to it, and I reckon even if you feel one up in beating on people it can't stop them you beat on from despising you and laughing at you for being such a pathetic idiot."

Horslas flushed.

"But how else do you get to be one up?" his voice pleaded.

"You get to be one up on yourself, of course, by working harder and doing better than you ever have before!" said Redlan. "Look, everyone respects a Master, 'cos they've learned enough to show they deserve it, by their hard work!"

"Journeyman Maybret never respected Master Barlis, he ordered him about and made him do what he wanted" said Horslas.

"What, a MASTER? The Journeyman ordered a MASTER about? Surely you aren't saying that?" Redlan was shocked.

"Yeah he did" Horslas nodded emphasis to his words.

"Well both were a disgrace to their knots then – the Journeyman for his insolence, and the Master for permitting it. Oh. Master Barlis? That gentle fellow in the timberyard? He's most awfully knowledgeable about timber, but I can't see him keeping discipline in a class of lively twelve turn olds. I guess he disgraced his knots by being too nice. But surely the other Journeymen and apprentices – I mean, at Threewoods – didn't let this Maybret get away with it?"

Horslas nodded.

"Everyone was scared of him – he was big, and if anyone had children or little brothers he'd have them in the bottom of the saw pit for hours. We helped him stay one up so he didn't let the other Journeymen put us down, 'cos when given water rations, if the Headwoman took any notice her son went in the pit."

"That's outrageous!" gasped Redlan. "No wonder you're a bit of a poor sap, coming from a crass fool like your father to a wicked Journeyman that can make that happen! It – it's iniquitous! What's happening at Threewoods now?"

"A new Master came; a Master Isimy, and a couple of very young Journeymen and some senior apprentices who beat shards out of Banessan and me" said Horslas, bitterly.

"What, without provocation?" asked Redlan.

Horslas flushed.

"No" he said. "We – we wanted to get them cowed too so nothing would change."

"And you weren't used to people fighting back, huh? That must've been a shock. Well you haven't been dismissed so I guess the new Master thought you COULD learn, I s'pose asking me shows you know you've been wrong" Redlan added thoughtfully.

"I wanted to know if you thought I was. I guess you do" said Horslas.

"Well I do" said Redlan. "But I guess you've had some pretty poor examples of grown-ups to follow, so it's not all your fault. Haven't Tirlo and Teerel told you all this? They seem decent chaps."

Horslas flushed.

"Well, yes, but I thought it was being namby-pamby craftbred" he said. "I wanted to ask you because you're NOT."

Redlan nodded.

"Well I see that, but I guess you can't really call people namby-pamby when they've faced Thread like all Woodcrafters" he said. "Tragen's people do too. And if craftbred were that soft, could there be a Bronze Rider from them?"

Horslas shuffled.

"Well, I didn't know that" he said defensively. "What's this Bronze Rider like?"

"Well I've only spoken to him three or four times" said Redlan. "He's a big man, but tremendously talented, he can tackle delicate work even though his hands are as big as hams; and he's endlessly patient in demonstrating a skill, you know. I should think he's a strict disciplinarian; he talks like he expects instant obedience but I'd follow him anywhere, any time. He flies a special position, him and his wing, that's the most dangerous place in Thread, to protect other Riders swapping in and out of formation, and youngsters bringing firestone. It's not a job I'd have the guts to do," he added frankly, "yet he tells funny stories about the time the highest Riders were bombarded by fish over Tillek, that a waterspout had lifted, and they came home with enough fish caught in clothing to make a pie. And I think it was all true and no exaggeration" he added thoughtfully "because I don't think H'llon does exaggerate, even to make it funnier. His family have that odd capacity to be very literal."

Horslas looked wistful.

"He sounds tough" he said.

"Yes; but not cruel or rough" said Redlan. "He doesn't need to be; he knows his own worth, and has proved it over and over, with Master's knots, Impressing a Bronze, facing Thread, being made Wingleader and of a special Wing too….he doesn't need to be rough like a little man."

"Well I suppose I'd better work hard and stay out of the way of the brats" said Horslas.

"I guess," said Redlan, "you don't need to stay out of their way; just respect their rights and not try to get one up on them or they'll despise you as one down in their opinion. You haven't been throwing your weight around with the little ones yet, have you, there's surely not been time?"

Horslas flushed.

"Well, I sent some for klah, and that Kispre boy called me down because I don't have senior tassels; Senior Apprentice Josis ticked me off. She says he's very literal and never meant it as cheek. OH!" he said "Like the Bronze Rider not exaggerating."

Redlan laughed.

"Yes, exactly. Mind you, little kids rarely do mean to be cheeky unless you give them a reason to be" he said. "Don't go looking for offence where – mostly – it doesn't exist! No WONDER you feel one down – you and your father both – if you see tactless, heedless comments as deliberate insult or cheek! Believe me, I reckon that if that kid Kispre had MEANT to cheek you, it'd be a thorough job. Look, why don't you look them up, tell them you were sorry you were tetchy, you'd had a bad time in class and ask them to shake on it like men?"

"But they'll despise me for treating them as equals like that and for backing down!" said Horslas.

"Nuts" said Redlan, rudely. "They'll respect you for being man enough to admit to being tetchy and sympathetic for a bad time in class, even if you know it's a lie."

"It wouldn't be" said Horslas. "I'm having trouble with marquetry…Master Tuon threatened to send me to work with the ten-turn-olds. I never done marquetry before."

"Oh, _TUON_!" said Redlan with tolerant irritation. "He seems a good teacher, but a bit hasty; reckon someone forgot to remind him that you never touched the skill. I'll bring you on a bit if you like; and it's Josis' speciality. Reckon she'll help; it's what being a Senior Apprentice is about, helping those who need it. Tell the kids! I wager they'll have every sympathy with you missing out and will tell you all their woes about things they can't do. Maybe you can even help them. And then as well as showing you're moving towards deserving those senior tassels, you'll have some little boys who think you're really worth respecting and then you can learn more about how to win and keep respect."

"Well… I guess I can try" said Horslas a little ungraciously. "Uh, thanks" he added belatedly.

"You're welcome" said Redlan. "I guess us new ones need to stick together a bit."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Horslas had never been given practical advice before – probably because he was not previously prepared to listen to it – save from Master Isimy, which advice had been to make the best of a new start and try to learn by watching others. He remembered the Master's advice now, advice he had not really understood or heeded at the time; and decided to try Redlan's suggestion. After all, the brats could scarcely hate him any more.

Kispre, Tassarek and Mart surveyed the big apprentice warily when he approached them. Horslas decided to get his speech over, and launched into it.

"Look, you kids, I was in a bad mood earlier" he said. "Master Tuon had rubbished my best efforts and I was out of sorts. Can we start over?" he thrust out a hand.

It was not an apology by words; but even Kispre could read the intent. Kispre hated touching and being touched by any but his family but he knew that hand clasps were part of the rituals that made everyone else comfortable and learned to live with it. There was some wary suspicion on Kispre's part that this might be a way of getting a child to offer a hand to be squeezed or twisted, but Elissa and Gerney said you always had to give someone a chance.

"Oh, Master Tuon's got some funny ideas" Kispre took the outstretched hand with slightly gritted teeth.

Horslas did nothing untoward but clasped the smaller boy's hand firmly and with some relief.

"Shards!" said Kispre. "I say, I'm sorry, Horslas, I thought you were going to pull some stunt like twisting my wrist; I apologise for having you wrong."

Horslas flushed. There had been half an urge to do that just because he could, just to keep the kid off balance, and he had suppressed it and had revelled in being given trust instead of despising it.

The other two also took his hand each in turn, cautiously.

"I like marquetry, what I've done so far" said Mart. "It's precise. Can't you give it up if you don't like it? how long have you been learning?"

Horslas flushed.

"I came to it late" he said. "I only got here at the end of the last turn; I hadn't never done no marquetry before."

Kispre sighed in exasperation.

"Oh, I suppose there was a pretty girl walking by when Master Bendarek explained that to Master Tuon; he's awfully good at what he does – if you like that sort of thing, and there's no doubt that it DOES sell – but he's as easily distracted as a newhatched firelizard" he stroked his own little Steelsheen affectionately.

"Where did you get him?" asked Horslas, enviously. "Them boys that come to Threewoods from here, some of them had firelizards."

Kispre smiled solemnly.

"It's when having a dragonrider for a relative comes in kind of handy" he said. "Steelsheen is my Turnover gift from Uncle H'llon. Tass has one because he's Weyrbred and Elissa had a clutch to share with her friends, I guess some of the boys who went to Threewoods are."

"And I don't have a firelizard because I don't have decent relatives" said Mart, pugnaciously. "I was left out to die because of my feet, but roamers fed me and I learned to carve to pay my way."

"And H'llon's talking to a smith about making metal bracing bits to put on shoes so he can walk better" said Kispre. "Clubfoot can be straightened, but there's nothing much there to straighten."

Horslas stared, horribly fascinated. This was the sort of kid he would normally have picked on, easy to put down; but the kid succeeded with marquetry where he was failing, and a dragonman, a Bronze Rider no less, was considering how to help the kid.

"Can I see?" he asked suddenly.

"Why? You planning on laughing?" demanded Mart, belligerently.

"I'm curious. Never seen it" said Horslas.

"I ain't no freak for a freak show" Mart bristled.

"Can't hurt to show him" said Tassarek. "He's a big boy, learned a lot; maybe he can think of something even cleverer than Kispre's uncle; guess if more people knew more about other people there'd be less misunderstanding and folk'd get on better."

Mart shrugged, undid one shoe and pulled it and the sock off.

"The other's the same" he said.

The foot stopped being normal at the ankle, which bone had limited movement; and in place of a foot was a fist-sized lump of unformed flesh.

Horslas gave an exclamation of horror. For the first time in his life he was putting himself into the place of someone else, knowing that his father would have killed him if he had been born with such a deformity, realising that despite this, the boy Mart was good enough to be offered an apprenticeship, and if he had been with roamers, probably was good enough to have a free place.

"Never had no toes nor nothing" said Mart. "I get about pretty good, but I can't run. Any ideas?"

"Er, no" said Horslas. "Unless…would it make you walk better if it fit in a shoe that was foot shaped on the outside, carved of wood and fitting it exactly on the inside? To be kinda stable?"

"Dunno" said Mart "But it can't hurt to try, can it? ta!"

"Master Gerney will have some wood to try" said Kispre.

"A lot of cotholders in the High Reaches wear wooden shoes in the fields" said Horslas. "Because of the mud. They're waterproof."

"Yeah?" Tassarek was interested. "I never heard of that before, if people wear wooden shoes, I guess that makes it sound more practical than I thought. Sort of like foot boats!" he giggled.

"I – er, I suppose" said Horslas. "They're hard wearing and cheap too, I guess. I know how to make them, we done a lot of them at Threewoods. Reckon I could give you a hand and teach you how. And to make them for ordinary feet" he added.

"Yeah? You're a sport, Horslas!" said Mart. "Reckon we was wrong about you, putting you down as a real bully!"

Horslas flushed.

"I got in with a bully at Threewoods" he simplified the facts.

"Oh, to stop him doing you over? I guess that's pretty tough" said Tassarek. "You see that with candidates; the ones who toady to the bullies so's not to be beaten on; gen'ly they've been beaten on at home. You been beaten on at home too?" his green eyes were guileless and genuinely interested.

"Yeah" said Horslas.

"Huh, you want to join the logicators" said Kispre. "We protect people and help them protect themselves."

"It's a sort of constructive interference" explained Mart. "Nosy busybodies but kinda trained to be busy about real problems, not just poking in noses where they're not wanted. Well, not wanted by bullies and bad people, but nobody cares about what they want. Logicators got me sent here. They rescue people who are being hurt and find out murderers and things."

"We're part of the junior branch" said Tassarek. "But you're grown up so you'll be with the big people. Journeyman Elissa leads them, she's top logicator here. She killed a wicked woman who was hurting little girls, and she wasn't any older'n you when she did it I reckon!"

Horslas rapidly reassessed. He had been ticked off for unnecessary roughness by Elissa soon after arriving and had dismissed her as another soft craftbred sentimentalist.

"Killed? On purpose?" he asked.

"I think she meant to maim her enough for Lord Asgenar to hang the woman" said Kispre "But she hit her hard with a skillet, 'cos she wanted her to go down, 'cos she was a big beefy woman. My foster sisters were being hurt by her, 'cos she pretended to make them apprentices and she liked hurting people and wanted them to drudge for her too. She'd killed little girls before and Tahnee and Lianka nearly died. Tahnee isn't here; she's Journeyman Printcrafter now at High Reaches Weyr" he added punctiliously. "One of only two, you know! and anyway, Elissa wasn't hardly about to lose any sleep over killing a tunnel snake like that".

"I didn't realise that you people didn't muck about!" Horslas was impressed – these kids didn't seem shocked by Journeyman Elissa having killed someone either! "What if they won't have me?" he asked, anxiously.

"Oh, anyone's entitled to be a logicator" said Kispre, "so long as they mean it and aren't mocking. They've got a meeting tonight now the new ones have shook down a bit."

"You're a new one yourself" said Horslas.

"Well, yes, but I do live here, and Elissa's my foster mother" said Kispre "So I get to hear more stuff and so I don't feel as new as people who really are, 'cos I know all the Masters and Journeymen and all the hidey holes and most people's i-dio-syn-crasies. I think I got that big word right" he added parenthetically after pronouncing it carefully.

"Getting back to them funny-named personality quirks which is what you meant" said Mart "What with Master Tuon rubbishing our Horslas here, shall I run through the basics again? Like enough he forgot to teach you something real basic that you need to build on if he got distracted; and if you go through it with me, what I've learned so far, you can check if he's missed anything."

"All right" said Horslas. "Thanks."

Horslas, with sudden unwonted insight, wondered if the Master had indeed assumed that he was revising a student not teaching him from scratch. Well maybe it had been a misunderstanding, but if he could learn properly, he could show Tuon up, and he could earn real marks with fancy work!

oOoOo

It transpired that, when looking it over again, Master Tuon had not exactly left anything out of his explanations to Horslas. However, had been impatient over teaching basics to a big boy as he was not with the younger ones, and expected a crafter of several turns' experience to pick it up from a hasty explanation that had gone by too fast for a boy who was as generally ill-prepared as Horslas was, coming as he had from poor teaching and lax discipline. Mart went through it with the care of someone who was revising it for himself; and with his own asides on what was easy and what was hard.

"I think I'm looking forward to using complex and curved shapes" he said "But I'm content with geometric pieces to fit together for now! It's a bit like patchwork, I guess."

Horslas nodded.

"I reckon it's more in the measuring than I realised, when he had me copying the paper pieces" he said.

"And in the cutting too" said Mart, seriously. "The thickness of a knife blade can be the difference of a fit or no. It's best to work on getting the knife right down the graphite line in the middle; then it's all averaged out and you don't get discrepancies of fit."

Horslas nodded. The graphite pencils used in the marquetry class were precious things, to be kept needle sharp but not wasted! It was tempting to keep using them after they had blunted, just to avoid being scrutinised suspiciously by Master Tuon to check that the sharpening was not profligate!

oOoOo

Horslas went, rather tentatively, to the logicator meeting.

Redlan grinned cheerily at him; Josis nodded approval, and Journeyman Elissa gave him a sharp look to see if he had come to cause trouble.

Master Gerney gave the boy a cool nod. Horslas was a little afraid of Gerney; the man was stern. He had taken pains to introduce Horslas to the lathe, a contrast to Master Tuon's perfunctory introduction of his subject. Horslas was now regretting that he had made such a poor showing on the lathe and had not tried harder. He really could not get the hang of the treadle; and consequently could not concentrate on what his hands had been doing! Looking back, the dour Master had been patient with him, but had dropped on the boy when he started making sawdust balls to throw at others when left alone, boredom and frustration leading him to misbehave, the only response he knew. Horslas flushed at the memory.

"Please, sir, how does Mart treadle?" he burst out.

Gerney looked sharply at him to see if he meant insolence; and decided the question was an honest one.

"For now, Kispre treadles for him; I am building a hand-cranked machine. Less efficient, but better than nothing" he added.

"Please, sir, may I try again on it when it's built?" Horslas blurted out again. "I don't want to be beaten by some wretched machine!"

Gerney brightened.

"That's a better attitude than you had before" he said. "And I'll let you back in my class now if you are prepared to sit and just treadle to try and get the hang of it. A boy who's now a Journeyman did that; he wasn't prepared to be beaten either. He became a quite competent turner."

"May I sir? you gave me a lot of time – I didn't appreciate that but I guess I do now" Horslas said in a rush.

Gerney was pleased.

"Any Master worth his salt wants all his pupils to reach their full potential" he said. "I always feel it's my failure if I have to dismiss a boy from my class."

"Oh!" said Horslas, taken aback. "Well I AIN'T going to fail."

"That's the spirit, lad" said Gerney, treating the boy to one of his rare smiles. "Now, let's shelve woodcrafting and move to logicating!"

Elissa nodded to Horslas, and called the meeting to order.

"Do we have anything to bring to the logicators' attention?" she asked. "We've a few new members here, including J'ton here from Igen, who's here to learn logicating and take it back to his Weyr. If we've nothing specific, I thought we might tell stories to help the new members to get a feeling of what we've done and what we do."

"Please, Journeyman, is it in order to say that I believe that problems are often caused by attitudes found in the top echelon of any organisation?" said Redlan. "Josis can tell you" and he blushed violently. Josis pretended not to notice.

"People are what they are because they're made that way by their parents and those in authority" said Josis. "We copy our parents; it's built in as a way we learn, I guess, and it's the basis of apprenticeship, learning either from crafter parents, or as here with the Masters as surrogate parents with more and wider skills."

Elissa nodded.

"It is a valid point; and one known to the logicators, but just as valuable to bring up from independent observation" she said. "It goes deeper than the old generalities that Holdbred are intolerant, Craftbred are prudes and Weyrbred are promiscuous; none of these generalities being entirely, or even particularly, true. But the exigencies of different priorities and different social structures create differences in outlook that each can produce their own problems. And within those structures are modifications based on the personalities of those who are in charge; and the individuals who have most influence on a growing youngster. A craftbred child might be more influenced by an admired master than by his own parents; in the Weyr, often a foster mother has most to do with the upbringing of Riders' children, because of the risks involved to the parents; but admiration for a Rider parent or other Rider might provide a role model. In Holds, the teaching of the Hold Harpers may be what influences a child. But what we learn in infancy, before we are of an age for Harpers, will always have some influence on us, even if we choose later to disregard that. A child beaten from an early age may – most do – become either a victim, often dying at the hands of a bully his, or more often, herself, knowing no better than to marry a man who beats her; or will himself become a bully. Children are like animals in being instinctive and a hurt animal lashes out without logic. Boys too often become pugnacious as they become men, whatever it is in the body that changes boys into men can affect their behaviour, and this can make a boy who is bullied angrier and more likely to lash out at others. Once this becomes a habit, it can be difficult, even impossible to overcome; but the strongest wills can break that habit."

"Vorinia did" said Josis. "Overnight. She's the unusual example of a girl becoming a bully – I presume because of her social rank?"

"Yes, being a Holder's daughter placed her away from those under her, and she's also the example of someone not beaten herself but just accepting it as normal from a father who wasn't really quite sane" said Elissa. "Though it's not just women who do become victims, the quiet, imaginative introspective boys may also do so. And some rare people have the inner strength to realise that what is happening is wrong and they often become passionately involved in combating bullying and the hurting of children. Those who manage to turn their lives around and eschew bullying may also become protectors and champions of the weak. Like Vorinia."

Josis nodded.

"As you say, she wasn't beaten but she was never brooked or curbed in her life, and that's as damaging to a kid as being beaten on. But what you said about earlier times was to her advantage, because she had a nurse who instilled in her some decent values, before the old woman got ill and Holder Vorn threw her out during Threadfall."

There were gasps of horror.

Josis nodded again.

"Yes, lovely person as he is… he violated my rights as craftbred too, for those of you who don't know, making me a drudge and taking my apprentice knots from me when my father died. I'm glad Lord Bargen deposed him. Lord Bargen thought him insane, as you suggested, Elissa, and he's confined in the Healer Hall, but I think he's just nasty. Anyway, Vorinia realised everyone hated her, and worked really hard to change; and you couldn't meet a nicer person now, kind, patient, and cheerful despite her terrible accident. She held on to a stupid, heedless brat of a girl to save her from falling to her death after doing something stupid; and it wrecked Vorinia's back. They say she'll walk and ride freely again, but it's been a long haul. People CAN change; but they have to want to. You can't help someone who won't help themselves."

Horslas stood up.

"I'm a bully and I want to change" he said.

"Didya do what I suggested?" asked Redlan.

"Yeah. You were right. They're a decent bunch of brats really" said Horslas. "Mart's helping me with my marquetry; I'm going to help him carve shoes like High Reaches work clogs to give him wooden feet."

"That's not a half bad idea" said Elissa. "And by the way, if you got that far, I'd say you were already changing yourself – well done. I think it might need leather straps to hold tight to his ankles - from in front, round the ankles and perhaps through a strap running up the back too. And, people, that's another thing logicators do: try to find practical solutions to life's little vicissitudes for people who need it by combining different skills and knowledge" and she smiled warmly at Horslas.

Horslas had never felt like this before – warm inside, approved of!

It was all the boy could do not to cry from a mix of emotions.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Josis was delighted that Horslas had decided to talk to someone and try to change; and squeezed his arm gladly and told him so.

"Reckon you're a man" she said.

He flushed.

"Redlan made it pretty clear" he said. "What was right an' all, that is; and what to do to put stuff right. Reckon I ought to apologise to all them I've hurt?"

"I think you should tackle the ones who came here" said Josis candidly "And if there were any kids you picked on particularly I think you might write to them and apologise, and tell them you've learned how to start to be happy. It IS happier being liked than otherwise, isn't it?"

Horslas nodded.

"I'll do that first" he said. "There's two; a kid called Siffio we picked on for being Ranking as much as for being little and easy; and a girl called Haella. She fought back!" he added. "I guess if kids had fought back from the beginning, it wouldn't have been so easy to bully them."

"But you can't lay the blame on them for that" said Josis, firmly. "Yes, if people band together against bullies they can defeat them; but it's either a flaw in human nature or a flaw in our society that nobody wants to stand out and be the one to suggest that first off, for fear of being the one singled out for punishment. Or if someone does suggest it, people fool themselves into arguing that they don't need to put themselves out and risk getting hurt, and believe that appeasement works. That's how Fax got to be so powerful; the Harper at Northfork explained it really well."

"P'haps," said Horslas, "you ought to ask if you can give a class to the little ones and anyone else who doesn't know and go through that; we never got taught that Fax was a bully, only that he was powerful and evil. Pointing out that he was a bully kinda makes him less, and – and that's important, right? And – and I'll tell them what it's like to be a bully if you like. Then three kids, Kispre, Mart and Tass, they know; so I wouldn't lose face in front of them and I guess that's what I care about."

Josis nodded.

"All right! I think it's a good idea and it furthers the ideals of logicators too!" she said. "And you're right that it diminishes Fax and that IS a good thing."

oOoOo

Horslas chewed profligately on a pencil long and with much thought before he managed to write to Siffio and Haella, apologising for his actions, and asking them to understand even if they could not forgive.

It was a harder self-imposed punishment than anything Alaran had set him in the Threewoods Crafthall. So too was facing Birgel, son of Journeyman Hagel, sent last turn to Lemos; and Keltor, sent by Alaran to rescue him from the influence of the cruel Journeyman Maybret. Both boys were free to return to Threewoods, but were enjoying the atmosphere at Lemos and the wide range of skills available to learn. Birgel planned to return as a teaching Journeyman to help his father one day but he still had much to learn!

Birgel was astonished by Horslas' apology; but he nodded.

"Reckon I fought back, mostly" he said. "I never cared about old Maybret's sawpit; I'm willing to shake and make up. I've been here long enough to take a step back, you know, and see things more clearly; and I visited Father over Turnover and Threewoods is a different place now! I guess you'd not have been so bad if Maybret hadn't egged you and Banessan on. I'm glad he was hanged."

"I guess I am too" said Horslas "though it was terrifying when we found out! Especially when that girl Haella led the little ones and would have lynched Banessan and me if Journeyman Alaran hadn't come in and stopped them!"

"My sister tried to LYNCH you?" Birgel was taken aback.

"Your SISTER? Journeyman Hagel's daughter? I never knew!" Horslas was aghast. "Yeah, it was wise to keep THAT secret, Maybret would've delighted in hurting her – and encouraged us. We tried anyway, to get at the incomers. She kicked me in the knee" he added.

"Good for Haella!" said Birgel, warmly. "You have to fight bullies. I'm glad you got over it away from Banessan; but oh dear! I wish I'd seen her trying to lynch the pair of you!"

"It was all of them together, and I was scared so much I almost wet myself" said Horslas. "It – it was as bad as waiting for father to come when he'd sent me to my room to await punishment. I – I didn't know if they meant it or were just ragging."

"I expect they were ragging" sad Birgel. "I can't see Haella going through with it. They wanted to scare you, I guess!"

"They succeeded" said Horslas.

Birgel slapped him on the shoulder.

"Well, bygones can be bygones, eh?" he said.

Horslas nodded.

They would never be likely to be close friends, but it was much better than being foes!

oOoOo

Apologising to Keltor was harder.

Keltor was an adequate woodcrafter, but a rather stolid, unimaginative youth in many ways, not readily able to empathise with others or put himself in their shoes. He received Horslas' apology with a curt nod; and little noticeable increase in warmth to his manner. Horslas had to be satisfied with having done his best to build bridges; not all would accept his desire to change, to be a bigger man than his father. Still, Josis had called him a man, and woman or not, Horslas had a sneaking admiration for the pretty senior apprentice who had overcome abominable unfairness!

oOoOo

Josis herself was happy; and too busy to miss Vorinia too much! She wrote a brief note from time to time, glad that Vorinia had written to her saying that she expected that her friend was working too hard to write back very often! It was handy, though, having friends with obliging firelizards, for Elissa too had become very much a friend, welcoming Josis as a cousin into her own family circle.

Being friends with Master Gerney, cousin or no, was another matter. Josis found him a trifle forbidding, and agreed in her own mind that he was quite correct to keep a distance from any apprentice, especially a cousin, however unbending he plainly was to his own foster children at home! He was certainly stern with Kispre in class; and the boy accepted it. He felt no need to seek attention, which was as well since Elissa had enough on her plate with new apprentices as she confided to Josis.

Elissa's new apprentices were, she thought, more trouble in some ways than those of the previous turn, though much quieter! Ambreen and Sheesha had disrupted the whole Hall with their practical jokes, but had no real vice; and had now quietened down once their inventive genius ran down. Elissa had no qualms about Adanna; the little girl was adapting to being apart from her twin, even if she were a little put out that he was learning independence from her and making a few friends of his own. Adan was in a dormitory with Kispre, one of the three of the eight-boy dormitories for the new intake. All of the boys in that dormitory were characters, attracted to others who were not ready to be conformist. Vivion was with the younger ones for his inexperience, and he and Adan were in a friendly competition of who could learn to treadle first! There were two other boys and a vacant bed; the other boys were Piret, the son of a Journeyman Woodcrafter from a small hold, and Bredey, from Telgar Hold. Both were fairly adventurous, independent lads, and Elissa cheerfully expected mischief from the whole lot, possibly with Adanna being involved too, and maybe Adanna dragging in Lirysa. Lirysa had her own brand of imagination, though she was too diffident to start anything for herself but if once involved would doubtless add to the planning of any madcap ventures.

It was Milly who bothered Elissa; the girl told tales about her dormitory mates and was ready to accuse others of slights or injury, regardless of whether there was evidence to their detriment for her to see or not. She had threatened to accuse Ambreen of theft over the disappearance of a pair of trews, though Ambreen, truthful for all her mischief, had indignantly denied touching them.

"And the wretched girl was still inclined to look askance at Ambreen when I told her that it was I who had taken her trews to mend because she had torn the knee!" said Elissa irritably to Josis. "The child is deeply unhappy but I don't know why. She shuns cuddles and won't talk, saying that there's nothing wrong besides being bullied by the others. And as full of mischief as they are, Ambreen and Sheesha don't bully; not since I explained how some of the jokes they played were akin to bullying. They've been careful since I made them put onion juice in their own underlinedn and eat salty milk porridge."

Josis winced.

"Tasting their own medicine – literally with the porridge! Yes, kids can be thoughtless, but if they've learned from that and they're truthful kiddies I can guess they're pretty indignant about such accusations."

"Yes, and they told me that the others haven't got at her either, save to tell her not to whine. Sifora's head of the dormitory and she keeps a good eye on the others – if only to stop any monkeytricks interfering with her!"

"Enlightened self interest" said Josis dryly. "I guess all you can do is to wait and see if she opens up; and just be kind to her."

Elissa nodded.

"I was coming to that conclusion. I've been using the long evenings to tell Logicator tales, especially about kiddies who've been rescued from being hurt in case it strikes a chord, but I've had no response so far."

"It could be as easy as being out of her depth, not being used to other kids – if she's a bit spoilt" suggested Josis. "Vorinia was a brat when other kids were around, wanting to be the centre of attention and accusing them of things if she thought any of them were given more attention than she."

Elissa laughed.

"Milly surely is overindulged; she expects sweetmeats for the asking. No wonder she's rather porky and pale, and I told her so! She didn't like that much either" she added. "I think you may have it; perhaps she expected to be a rarity as a females apprentice and still be the centre of attention for that. I don't know much about spoilt kids; my friend Serehana – sorry, S'hana she is now – and I used to avoid spoilt candidates like poison. Or make them apple pie beds" she grinned. "Often with a hairbrush at the bottom. Which is why I'm never REALLY cross with Ambreen and Sheesha – save when Sheesha was mucking about in lathe class – because I remember what we got up to."

"It must have been fun" said Josis, wistfully.

Impulsively, Elissa hugged her.

"Oh, you and Vorinia missed out on having all that together – I'm so sorry!" she said. "You'll have to enjoy it vicariously through the little ones!"

Josis chuckled.

"Oh, I'm sure I shall" she said. "And I'll tell Sadvia what she and I missed getting up to if I'd been sent here properly – because we'd have been pretty much at the same level and she was on her own pretty much until you came!"

"She and her twin managed well enough!" laughed Elissa. "But I bet she would have relished another girl apprentice who wasn't playing at it! Ah, well, time trots forward, you can't go _Between _ to change it. Not unless there are indications that it's been changed, like Lessa read the signs of the other Weyrs going forwards."

Josis nodded.

Things were as they were.

She would try herself to draw Milly out, to help Elissa, by talking about Vorinia in the child's hearing. Perhaps THAT would strike a chord! She knew Vorinia would not mind her telling the tale in an effort to help another spoilt child find happiness sooner than she, Vorinia, had done.

oOoOo

Elissa was not the only one to have grave concerns about Milly.

Sanlas had been made up to Master recently by Bendarek, thinking it ridiculous to give him a Master's responsibilities without the concomitant privileges. And he was not happy at all with her as a member of his class. Sanlas had taken over from Batol in teaching Toolcraft when Batol was disgraced; and had been a welcome change to the children, used to Batol's cruel punishments. Sanlas was good humoured and jovial, but well able to keep his class from getting out of hand in a potentially dangerous workshop; Master Bendarek had recommended that he start quite strictly as too much leniency after a reign of terror might lead to previously cowed youngsters letting off steam. Sanlas modelled his approach on a combination of Gerney and Isimy, both of which Masters he admired. He was generally reckoned by the apprentices to be a good fellow but hot if you went out of your way to irritate him.

Ordinary naughtiness did not worry Sanlas; tool care had a number of messy jobs that did fine for punishments. He was something of a student of human nature too and had joined the logicators after the junior logicators had brought about Batol's final disgrace the previous turn. This enabled him to better gauge reasons for naughtiness and address it better. But Milly left him flabbergasted! The first turners settled in generally for two sevendays before going to toolcare classes; this had initially been to give them a chance to settle before being exposed to Master Batol but also meant that the most difficult and potentially dangerous class was also deferred until they were settled.

On the first lesson Milly informed Sanlas calmly that she had no intention doing anything so messy, dangerous and low as dealing with tools, which she designated a job for drudges.

Sanlas gathered himself; and decided to be sternly tolerant.

"Young woman" he said "You have just called a Master of the Craft a drudge; for I am tool MASTER and keeping the tools in order is my business. It is a highly skilled job beyond the capacity for an untrained drudge. And if you make it to Journeyman and travel to a far Hold you would be unlikely to find anyone skilled enough to keep your tools in the order you will need them to do your job. So you will have to do so for yourself. THAT is why this Hall insists upon a certain level of competence in toolcraft and failure to obtain that level results in immediate dismissal. This once I will excuse your insolence providing you apologise immediately."

That sort of speech had reduced a boy who questioned the need for toolcraft the previous turn to blushing apology.

Milly gave him a fishy stare.

"I don't see the need to apologise for an opinion" she said "And you don't dare punish me because I'll tell Master Bendarek that you interfered with me."

Sanlas stared.

"And if you lie to the Master" he said, levelly "I will ask a dragonman to test the truth; and YOU will be dismissed the Hall in disgrace for slander. You are a pert and disobedient child; five days water ration. You look as if you could do with cutting out too many sweets" he added before he could stop himself. He was not proud of that, but it was too late to take it back.

"I'll eat what I like! You can't torture me, it's against the Charter!" cried Milly.

"Your understanding of the Charter is flawed" said Sanlas, keeping his temper with difficulty. "You are under the care of this Hall which may offer reasonable punishment as a parent might. Now, I am not going to waste any more of the time of your fellows with a silly, naughty little girl; you are bullying the others by preventing them from learning. Now do as the others do, or I will ask Journeyman Elissa to pack your things, because passing this class is a requirement to continue as an apprentice. Your choice; water diet for insolence and put in the work, or return home as a failure before the first month is up."

Milly's mouth dropped open.

She had not expected quite such an uncompromising attitude!

Her attempts were rather perfunctory, but she did at least do some work as she had no intention of being sent home out of hand.

Subsequently she whined to Elissa that Sanlas was prejudiced against girls and was cruel.

"Funny, I never heard that from any of the other female apprentices who go through his class" said Elissa dryly "Nor that he has ever done anything like his predecessor of shutting apprentices in cupboards for hour after hour, or making them balance on a saw bench with a weight in each hand or sit astride the saw bench for hours. BATOL was cruel."

Milly was shocked; she had never heard of such punishments!

Elissa went on,

"And if Master Sanlas were prejudiced you know, it's up to you to knuckle down and prove that he's wrong; as I did with Master Gerney who WAS prejudiced against female apprentices."

"He's got all those girls as specials though" said Adanna, who was listening in. "And Master Sanlas isn't any different with girls than boys. I didn't think Master Gerney was."

"Oh, Master Gerney half expects girls to giggle and act stupidly" said Elissa "The ones who are his specials just really are that good. He has largely relaxed his prejudices, he had just had it with several successive girls who thought it was all right to shirk and lark about and thought they would be let off because of being girls. There are NO boys and girls in a workshop; only apprentices."

"SHE shirks" muttered Adanna.

"SHE is the tunnelcat's mother and we don't encourage sneaking" said Elissa calmly. "If there is an apprentice who irritates the rest by bad behaviour, stealing the time their parents have paid for in so doing, then it is better that his or her peers make the matter plain to that apprentice so long as they stop short of bullying."

"What can we do?" asked Adanna "Without whanging any offender a good 'un, I mean?"

"There's sending to Southern; that's a good one because it requires the consensus of all apprentices in a class or dormitory to refuse to speak to or acknowledge the offender, and proves thereby total disapproval" said Elissa. "You can also put your views by deputation to a lazy or ill behaved child. MOST kids are reasonable and dislike the disapprobation of their peers. If you feel a fellow's behaviour verges on dangerous or stupid, keep a list of times and places; then if there is a disciplinary hearing over safety it may go beyond sneaking to present that if you feel placed at risk by the behaviour of another. That is more appropriate really over the actions of a bully, but I am generalising here. I would be very disappointed to hear about more physical punishments like drying-cloth gauntlet running or jugs of water over those who won't get up and I would have to punish anyone involved."

"But we take that risk if we think it necessary?" piped up Ambreen; the more senior girls were listening seriously too.

"You would have to make a judgement call on whether it were justified" said Elissa.

Ambreen was no fool. If Milly caused disruption in the dorm, the other girls would let her know about it, accepting punishment as payment if it got far enough for them to need it.


	6. Chapter 6

_Hi EveningPernFan, thanks for the review! I'm glad you enjoy! [It's nice, re Austenfics, to find someone too who agrees that Frank Churchhill is a creep, so many people seem to be mesmerised by his 'charm'. There is another Jane story in the pipeline] I checked in my Chambers and it gives crumby and crummy as both correct, and hence derivatives. One of the few instances where we Brits have a simplified form... normally I would be inclined to the more archaic form so I'm not sure where that came from, probably the prejudices of a teacher way back when. I'm afraid I use 'black dust crackdust' together purely because I like the feel of saying it. If it irritates, I'll try to remember not to. __  
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Chapter** 6**

Milly found that neither Elissa nor Saralla could be got round on the matter of water rations; for Master Sanlas had spoken to the Hall Healer over Milly's flaccid fatness in case it was a medical condition that needed special diet. Saralla had examined the little girl and questioned her and had come to the conclusion that the condition was self inflicted and that a few days of plain fare would do the little girl the world of good. The only modification she made to the punishment diet was that the girl should eat a redfruit or an apple or a fingeroot with her plain bread at each meal. As the fruit were all wrinkled from storage over the winter this was not popular with Milly.

Milly tried therefore to get extra treats by the expedient of blackmail.

"Give me your bubbly pies or I'll tell everyone you're a thief" she whispered to Mart, who happened to be sitting beside her.

Mart was furious; and scrambled to his feet as best he could.

"PEOPLE!" he called "That lump of muddy porridge just said if I don't break faith with the Masters by giving her goodies she'll tell you I'm a thief. Just like she threatened to lie about Master Sanlas. I don't take that fork-juice from anyone!"

"I say we send her to Southern!" called Adanna.

"Seconded!" said Mart.

"All in favour say 'aye'" said Kispre.

There was a growl of 'AYE!' from the younger ones at least.

Milly's behaviour in toolcraft class had shocked all the others; and any who thought her clever to answer back to a Master had been quickly disabused of that view by hearing the disgruntled comments of the others – and indeed Master Sanlas' cogent explanation of why toolcraft was important.

Mart shuffled along the bench to be further from the little girl; and Alanna on her other side did likewise.

Milly set her jaw.

If they wanted to be stupid and childish, she didn't want anything to do with them anyway, and would pay them out!

oOoOo

Next morning, all the girls in Elissa's cot were clamouring for missing underlinen; and Sifora in tears having started her period ridiculously early during the Turnover break and being in the throes of the second with no sanitary cloths.

Elissa took Sifora into her own room and cuddled her and sorted out sanitary protection for her, and sent her drudge Dorelly to run to the laundry and ask that those items in the wash be quickly finished and ironed dry.

"It'll be those boys" said Milly when Elissa had finished soothing Sifora and Dorelly had returned with one set of underlinen each. "That boy Mart is a thief; it stands to reason, he's Holdless."

"That is a ridiculous attitude and a Marksman's daughter ought to know it" said Elissa. "For your father deals with many honest Holdless traders I'm sure. Let's have no more of that nonsense! Why would the boys take your underlinen anyway?"

"To embarrass us" said Milly. "If you have their dorm searched I expect you'll find our things – that Mart and that horrid boy Kispre who stares through people."

"How DARE you be rude about my brother?" burst out little Kilaia. "He'd NEVER take my underwear, even if he put yours on top of the lightning conductor like cousin Alaran did with ol' Batol's! An' he wouldn't leave you without any to wear either because only a real MEAN would do that, specially to Sifora and Kispre's not mean you horrid girl!" she was starting to become hysterical as Milly just sneered at her.

"Kilaia" Elissa said quietly "Calm down. I wonder if Milly can think where the underwear might be in the boys' dorm?"

Milly gave her famous fishy stare.

"Why in the clothes presses with their underlinen" she said.

"Fascinating logic" said Elissa dryly. "This will be sorted out. Kislaia, fetch Sadvia and Josis for me please, Preslan get Kispre and his cronies."

Kislaia and Preslan ran off, animadverting as they went on the iniquities of rotten girls.

oOoOo

When all were assembled, Elissa regarded Kispre and his two friends.

"Have any of you for a joke taken girls' underwear from my cot?"

"No ma'am" said Kispre. "You can't do that to girls. It's mean."

The other two murmured agreement.

"Assuming for a moment you were mean enough to do so, where would you put it?" asked Elissa.

Kispre frowned.

"If it was another boy who we despised like…well if it was a boy, we might put them on display, as a hat on one of the carvings in the dining hall, or we might just stuff them in the laundry."

"It would not occur to you to put them in with your own underlinen?" Elissa asked.

"YUK!" said Kispre. "GIRL stuff in with ours? People would think we were peculiar and might think we'd wear it."

"Yeah, it's obscene!" said Tassarek.

"Besides, why go to the effort for someone else's stuff?" said Mart. "I'd drop 'em out of a window into a muddy puddle."

"The difference between the way a boy thinks and the way a girl thinks" said Elissa dryly, having expected answers along these lines. "Senior apprentice Josis, please search the presses of the boys in the Beech dormitory."

"Yes Journeyman" said Josis.

"If there's any there, someone put them there" said Kispre.

oOoOo

The waiting was tense.

Josis returned with the underwear.

"NEATLY folded under the jumble that the boys had evidently scrambled through for their own morning stuff" she said. Distributed about all seven presses; and each girls' stuff in a different press. Far too orderly for boys, even Kispre, whose own underlinen was almost neat."

"And one girl who suggested both the boys and where it would be found" Elissa fixed a grim eye on Milly. "You boys may go, and the older girls, and please apologise to Master Tuon for my keeping of you; tell him I will explain later if he wishes. Sadvia and Josis, please stay."

"What about Lirysa and me?" said Adanna. "We're innocent! Lirysa has male cousins and I have a twin, we're not stupid enough to think boys fold things neatly and put them away!"

Elissa hesitated.

"Yes, perhaps it is as well if you went too. And my apologies you two and the boys to Master Gerney on my behalf. Kislaia, Preslan, go and help Saralla wind bandages until breakfast time."

The littlest ones were not expected to go to lessons with the Harpers until after breakfast; the apprentices had a short class in theory to prepare them for the practical lessons tackled after the first meal, contenting themselves on fruit, bread rolls and klah before that, to which they might help themselves freely. Those on water rations were on honour to drink water not klah. Missing this snack would not hurt the youngsters for once.

"I don't know why you're accusing me" said Milly, sullenly. "You solve crimes; I guessed where they'd hide them and there they were. Why aren't the boys being punished?"

Elissa looked at her with dislike.

"You have no brothers, do you, Milly?" she asked.

"No" said Milly.

Elissa pursed her lips in irritation.

"That's 'no JOURNEYMAN' when you are on the carpet!" she said icily. "Remember in future. Perhaps you might have guessed, however, from Adanna's comments that those who have brothers know more about the behaviour of boys. And if you did have brothers, they would have knocked a few of your corners off. Putting things away neatly is alien to the nature of boys. Even Kispre, who has a place for everything and everything in its place doesn't necessarily keep things neatly folded! And their reaction to putting girls' things in with theirs was palpably genuine."

"They might be peculiar, like he said" said Milly sulkily. "Or one of them is and wanted to share the blame. As he suggested it, maybe that Kispre is a weirdo."

"Somehow, I think it would have shown up before" said Elissa dryly. "I am happy enough to punish my own fosterlings when they are naughty; but I know Kispre well enough. You are compounding your own nasty joke by lying; only it's more than a joke. You took your own undies to add verisimilitude to your plan to get the boys into trouble; and you cruelly took Sifora's sanitary things. And that PROVES a girl did it" she added coldly "Because a boy that age would hardly be likely to recognise them as underlinen. You are quite the nastiest little girl I have ever known; and unless you have good reason, like trying to get attention because someone HAS been interfering with you – I overheard a discussion about your willingness to tell lies – then I confess to being utterly disgusted with you. If there is anything you want me to know, bearing in mind that you threatened to accuse Master Sanlas,, I suggest you speak up now."

Milly stared uncomprehendingly.

"It's what you say to men to make them leave you alone" she said truculently. "My father told me to say it if I felt threatened."

Elissa pursed her lips.

"Somehow I cannot think that your father meant you to use that disgusting accusation over justified discipline" she said, coldly. "It is an insult not only to him but to those little girls who HAVE been interfered with. I doubt you even know what the phrase means."

Milly had her fishy stare again to conceal her lack of knowledge.

Sadvia had been listening gravely.

"I think this goes beyond naughtiness to be punished by a house mother" she said. "Deliberate slander – and more than that in fitting up the boys – should go to the Master."

Elissa nodded sadly.

"I fear you are right. I've also heard that she disrespected Master Jaben by saying that she was only ready to work in his stupid classes – I quote – because it taught her to make boxes that would sell well with adequate decoration."

"To his FACE?" gasped Sadvia "I heard no eruption of wrath!"

"No, she was overheard making the observation after leaving class; the report was unofficial from an apprentice who was so indignant that she had to tell me" said Elissa, who was not about to name Kisra in front of Milly; Sadvia would guess, and indeed did so, with a crack of laughter.

"Ah, yes, she would" she said.

"Disrespect to the two Masters whose basic classes are mandatory seems a poor discipline base; but that could be worked on surely?" said Josis. "It's this deliberate trying to get the boys into trouble that's so disturbing. Milly, I'm sure you're accustomed to have your own way, but can you not see that such frightful lying is wrong?"

"I don't care about them, they ought to be in trouble, they were rude to me!" said Milly.

"Great Shells, if all apprentices tried to get others into trouble for every time another apprentice was rude to them, it'd be a hotbed of lying intrigue!" said Elissa. "Have you NO sense of pragmatism, you silly child? I don't WANT to have to involve the Master! Have you no feelings of remorse or realisation of how unfair you are?"

"I'M not unfair, they are!" Milly stamped her foot.

"Let me tell you about Vorinia" said Josis. "Maybe that will break through to you."

Milly listened, sullenly, a growing sneer on her pasty face.

"Well she was really stupid, if you ask me" she said. "Doing DRUDGE work? And who wants to fly a stupid dragon anyway? She had everything and threw it away! I'd have thrashed you half to death for talking so to me if you were my drudge!"

Josis went white and compressed her lips.

"So you don't give a tunnel snake's turds for the Charter you talked about so glibly when you thought you could use it against a Master – those boys do have carrying voices and they have been discussing your cheek – and you'd be happy to take other people's rights then? Well I hoped to help you find the happiness that Vorinia has; but if you are determined to be unhappy, there is nothing to be done. Deep down you know you resent the camaraderie of the others; you only pretend to despise it because you don't know how to achieve it. Maybe one day you will remember this conversation and will then try to make good. In the meantime, sorry, Elissa, I have to agree with Sadvia – uh, Journeyman Sadvia. You have no choice but to lay this before the Master. We can't have a thief in the Hall."

"I'M NOT A THIEF!" screeched Milly.

"You're a thief thrice" said Elissa. "You stole the girls' underlinen; that might have been a prank. The more serious theft was the attempted theft of the reputations of seven boys. And for that matter of a Master in your ridiculous threats to Master Sanlas. And you have been wasting the time of crafters which is the third theft since time is money. Journeyman Sadvia and I could have been doing work to the value of a dozen marks in the time we've been getting to the bottom of this, and Senior Apprentice Josis hardly less. Come along; Master Bendarek can deal with you. And you WILL be chaperoned at all times to be sure that you do not try your filthy and disgusting tricks of slander on him" she added.

oOoOo

Bendarek was horrified.

Master Sanlas had spoken to him already, asking for advice! It was an unprecedented situation.

"You are certain she's not making a plea for help like that paying student?" he asked Elissa when the Journeyman had outlined all that had happened.

"I asked her that, Master; and she hadn't a clue what I was talking about" said Elissa. "She's just plain nasty. And I don't want her in my cot any more upsetting my fosterlings, never mind upsetting and stealing from the other apprentices. She almost drove Kilaia into hysterics this morning, goading her."

"Well she's such a stupid little brat!" said Milly sulkily "Standing up for a porcine like Kispre – OW!"

Elissa yanked the girl over her knee and applied her moccasin with vigorous effect on the girl's flaccid rump.

"That's for bullying my fosterling and miscalling her for standing up for the honour of her brother – who had NOT committed any offence!" said Elissa. "Sorry, Master."

"Quite understandable under the circumstances" said Bendarek. "I understand she was all smarm to Lord Asgenar; looking forward to meeting his cousin Sadvia and all."

"She's made a nuisance of herself hanging around me, I must say" said Sadvia. She flushed. "Oh! She was asking questions about my twin – I bet she thought if she could do well enough she could be a Holder's wife some day!"

Milly looked mutinous. The idea HAD crossed her mind. Elissa laughed.

"Kyal? Apart from not wanting to marry any girl incapable of an honest day's work showing the drudges how to do things, she rather burned her boats trying to bully his favourite sister!"

"I never done anything to S- Journeyman Sadvia!" cried Milly.

"I meant Ambreen, actually" said Elissa.

Milly's colour drained. She had not realised that Ambreen was a Holder's daughter, as the little girl was treated no differently to anyone else!

Bendarek sighed.

"Lord Asgenar will be very disappointed that his own protégé is sent home in disgrace" he said.

That got through.

Milly paled still more.

"Oh please, Master! Give me another chance, don't send me home!" she said in lively horror.

Bendarek looked at her coldly.

"You don't seem to care, child, what Masters, Journeymen and other apprentices think of you; but when it's the Ranking your attitude changes. I don't know that I can give you another chance; I don't think I quite believe that your desire to improve is genuine. But I won't make a hasty decision. Elissa, please place her in the isolation room in the infirmary; I will ponder my final decision."

Milly was actually sobbing as Elissa led her away, though the young Journeyman was not sure if the tears were tears of sorrow, shame or anger!

oOoOo

Bendarek made the decision to request dragon transport to Lemos Hold; and laid the whole business before Lord Asgenar. The young Lord Holder was shocked.

"Well, I trust your logicators not to make any mistake; they've shown themselves very efficient so far, and generally erring on the side of compassion" he sighed. "I mean, her father's a bit…..well, Marksmen are, of course; I never saw a Marksman that was thin and lugubrious, did you?"

"They can be sharp even if they are honest" admitted Bendarek more lucidly than Asgenar's tactfully vague comment. "It attracts a certain type too often. Smug and self satisfied, running to a bit of embonpoint is he?"

"Somewhat" said Asgenar dryly. "The child seemed the same physical type; but she was carving behind his mark-changing stall, and she was good. Not the best; but well worthy of training, I thought, and of further training. And she seemed so KEEN! I told her my cousin Sadvia would be there to keep one eye out for her, as well as young Elissa, making sure she wasn't teased for not being craftbred I meant…. Well, I've allowed enthusiasm for a talent to affect my judgement I'm afraid."

"Best way to err, My Lord" said Bendarek. "A talent should be nurtured – and you couldn't know that even in the field of carving she would disrespect Acting-Master Arkis by telling him that she was talented and needed no kid's rules because Lord Asgenar himself praised her skill."

"Great Shells!" exploded Asgenar "I encourage the brat and she assumes that means she has nothing to learn?"

Bendarek shrugged mournfully. Had he not already had a complaint off the record from Arkis – whom she had also said could not know enough as he was not a real Master and had left on that remark before he could react, so shocked had he been – he must still have considered expulsion for her actions. With that too he felt he had little choice.

"I would normally back Elissa and her team of young logicators to sort out most people, My Lord" he said "but I can't have the reputations of my people impugned by a lying little tunnel snake. Only I wanted to ask, if she does seem to grow up and change, would you then send her back? I'd have her. I too deplore wasted talent."

Asgenar nodded.

"You have my word" he said. "Moreover her father will know that if she tries to spread lies about the Woodcrafter Hall I will take legal action on your behalf, Master, against HIM. He will not let her lie. He knows I would fine him appropriately."

"Thank you" said Bendarek.

"Have you said it all to her, or should I put in my two-mark worth?" asked Asgenar.

"A quick speech explaining your disapproval of her selfish and self willed attitude might help, if you don't mind" said Bendarek. Asgenar nodded.

"I'll do that then, Ben; and my apologies" he said, dropping the formality.

Milly was sent home forthwith with a letter to her father outlining her shortcomings and telling him that a thief and a liar was not welcome at the Woodcrafter Hall.

Nobody missed her.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

The departure of Milly was a short-lived talking point; the other new apprentices in the new intake despised her heartily, but none actually cared enough to dislike her enough to gloat unduly or make anything much of the matter. She told lies and she disrespected Masters and so she was kicked out; and no-one questioned the justice in that.

"And deserves it, the mean!" said Sifora, who disliked her perhaps more than anyone for the embarrassment she had suffered.

"Cuh, yes, it's unfair enough to have the blood so young without having your stuff taken" said Ambreen, whose mother believed in early preparation, just in case. Sheesha had had the matter explained to her; and Adanna and Lirysa too had been enlightened by their seniors. As a point of fact, Lirysa was the eldest in the dormitory, and Sifora, the dormitory head, was the youngest, but Sifora was steady as well as having a turn's seniority on the new girls.

"I telled the dragon that was taking her away that she tells the smelliest of lies" said Kilaia. "She can't spread lies about in Lemos Hold now."

Sifora looked startled.

"Do you think she might?"

"I think she might try anything" said Kislaia darkly "but Shedith knows."

"Kilaia hears dragons" Ambreen explained to Adanna and Lirysa, "and so does Preslan. So take that superior look off your face, Adanna, she ain't pretending. And Lessa of Benden knows."

"Sorry" said Adanna to Kilaia, genuinely amazed. "I thought you were playing a game; I apologise."

Kilaia smiled gravely.

"That's all right" she said. "Mother Elissa says she always thought all people heard dragons but grew out of it like she did, 'cos of getting into the habit of not listening; but I'm s'posed to listen."

"You're lucky" said Adanna. "And you're a real all right kid standing up for your big brother."

"Preslan couldn't 'cos boys don't hit girls when they're feeble types like her" said Kilaia. "Reckon he could fight you if you wanted."

Adanna took that – rightly – as a compliment and grinned.

Milly was forgotten as utterly as if she had never come.

oOoOo

The seasons turned and the cold diminished. Buds would soon swell on the trees; and as the sap started rising, sugar maples were being tapped for the sap to make maple syrup and maple sugar. Far flung craftcots would make their own syrup; but those closer to brought in buckets and washing tubs full, ready for the sugaring-off.

"Master Halton says no sugar snow this turn" said Elissa to her fosterlings, charges, and Sadvia and Josis, the older girls having come to tea. Halton was H'llon's grandfather and was notoriously weatherwise, a talent H'llon found of use himself as a dragonrider, having inherited it.

"What's sugar snow, Journeyman?" asked Adanna. "Surely you can't make snow into sugar?"

"No, it's not that" said Elissa. "Maple syrup is made by boiling the sap of the sugar maple trees; it's tapped as it starts to rise to begin Spring. When there's a late snowfall it cools the trees down and stops the sap going as high as the leaves, so it runs for longer and makes more sugar. It's not so common an event to happen, but welcome when it does. Last turn the sugar snow gave the Hall a welcome boost to our income in having surplus to sell."

"Oh!" said Adanna. "I don't think I like snow much; it's pretty from indoors, but awfully cold."

"Oh, you'll have fun with it next turn when you're more used to it" said Elissa. "It's been a bit pathetic this turn, rather spare. I'm glad the Master laid aside plenty of syrup and sugar as well as selling some of the surplus; we might go short this turn."

Kispre looked up.

"Does that mean no maple candy?" he asked anxiously.

"Not a bit of it! Maple candy is a standard treat for apprentices and craftbrats!" said Elissa firmly. "We shan't be as sparse as that, just shorter than sometimes. Less surplus to sell."

"Good" said Kispre.

"We promised you should go to the sugaring-off and you shall" said Elissa. "We'll all be attending the dance."

oOoOo

Sugaring-off took place in a huge clearing. Awnings hung from trees around it, with raised floors away from the cold forest floor for the families of those involved in boiling the sap, which took place at a distance; and every visiting family contributed comestibles for the party. Hefty loggers took it in turn to lift the liquid of the sap in huge ladles from the boiling kettles, hung over huge fires, and pouring it back in, to keep the temperature even and to check on its consistency while their oldest sons saw to the fires and kept them burning at an even rate. When the liquid thickened it would be syrup. Some of it would be poured into barrels and kept as syrup; the rest would make sugar and maple candy.

Making sugar involved yet more careful boiling; but that was traditionally done by the women, while the celebration dancing went on, the women taking turns tending the boiling and at joining in the dancing, all dressed in their Gather best, but with big aprons while they tended the boiling syrup. Harpers played dance music and there was no such thing as bedtime!

A piercing whistle from one of the women at the pots had all the children scurrying to fill plates with snow, a great pile of which had been packed together to prevent it melting just for this, This was the moment at which the liquid was ready to make into candy! Jugs were dipped, and the youngsters poured it into the snow to cool, some choosing to make plain blocks, others making fantastical shapes that hardened in the snow as they poured. Adults made candy for those left behind for some reason and to store as treats; and the children might eat as much as they pleased of what they had poured!

Maple candy was good, but was filling enough that nobody wished that they might have a second plateful, though Kispre muttered to Mart that he bet that Milly would have wanted more.

Mart grinned.

"Well, she has only herself to blame that she missed out" he said, and promptly forgot her as he munched on his own candy.

And then the call came:

"GIRLS! It's graining!"

The women ran like firelizards hatching; all the boiled syrup must be poured out to cool into cakes of rich brown sugar for use in cooking all through the turn, and enough to fill a small bubbly-pie tin for each child of fourteen and below too, for it was a time of celebration where children might be indulged; for did not too the apprentices help to tend the maple stands, and to carve the wooden troughs that were driven into the bark to tap the sap, and check the buckets that the sap ran into, and cut new bucket staves for new buckets to be made by the hall cooper. Those involved in the timber side of things had spent the winter clearing old dead branches and building up the store of wood to burn for this, Even the small children who were not yet apprenticed had been making themselves useful gathering sticks to help with fuelling the fire and some had helped in sanding the bucket staves to smoothness.

Elissa's fosterlings enjoyed themselves hugely; and finally fell asleep on the piles of quilts and furs laid on the raised floor for that purpose! The huge fires kept everyone warm and on the morrow there would be porridge for breakfast with maple syrup; and then back to lessons as normal after the noon meal.

It was very satisfying!

Josis drank it all in; and watched what the women did, noting what changes occurred to the syrup. One day she might be helping to run a sugaring-off herself, if she failed to Impress, or if the women of High Reaches Weyr also made maple sugar!

oOoOo

After the Sugaring-off, Spring came in earnest, green creeping across the canopies of the trees almost as fast as anyone could watch; and the apprentices woke one morning to find that the tight green buds had burst open while they slept on many of the trees, and suddenly there was a canopy of leaves! With the thaw, hibernating weesweets had emerged and were busy singing from holes in trees, finding mates to raise broods, and early flowers put up pastel heads to the sun. Spirits brightened no end with the lengthening days, and more apprentices and Journeymen might be heard singing and whistling as they went about their work.

oOoOo

One of the spirits that was brightening most was Horslas; he was learning that friendship was a vast improvement on one-upmanship and cronyism. He and Redlan had drifted into a friendship consolidated by being outsiders together as well as Horslas' gratitude for Redlan's aid. The former bully was also finding a tentative friendship with Kispre and his friends. Kispre's woodcrafting skills already surpassed many of the older boys at Threewoods, to Horslas' amazement, though Kispre shrugged it off as being bred in blood and bone. Horslas decided it was the care and precision the little boy applied to everything; all that he made was neat and well finished, never skimped. Horslas was determined to emulate that!

He received a joint letter from Haella and Siffio – rather disjointed as each added their own thought – wishing him well and expressing sympathy for his life of being bullied. They wrote that Banessan had knuckled down to work and was mostly ignoring the little ones, which they considered a vast improvement.

Horslas was not to know that the children had viewed his apology with a degree of suspicion until Haella had received a letter from her brother mentioning that Horslas had pulled up his game and really seemed to be improving as a person too! With that evidence, discussed with Siffio, the children were ready to be generous. As Siffio pointed out, maybe Horslas would not have been so bad if he and Banessan had not egged each other on and been encouraged by ol' Maybret!

Isimy and Bendarek discussed the phenomenon too, and asked H'llon for input.

"We had a case told to us – two cases really – from the Harper Hall" rumbled H'llon. "Now Domick shares information with us logicators he told us that he recognised a fatal pairing in two boys from something he had seen in his youth. One boy is more dominant than the other, but the second must not just be a willing drudge to the first but has some sense of initiative himself. Then each becomes worse together than they are apart. The leader is often, it seems, more a dreamer than a doer; the follower perhaps has a poor self image. The admiration of the follower encourages the dreamer to do things – but often quite terrible things – he would not otherwise do, to prove his supposed superiority over others, hurting and even killing to prove that he has power of life and death over whom he designates as lesser being. The follower feels boosted by being privileged to share the deeds of the leader and also commits heinous acts to prove that he is worthy, which seeming big to the follower pushes the leader to worse and worse. We've called it a High/Moderate assertiveness situation. When it occurs, split the two. The lad – or, I suppose, girl – of lower assertiveness can be a high achiever if given the right encouragement. The one of higher assertiveness has the POTENTIAL to be great; but, it seems, often has a streak of laziness or a feeling that life owes him. Pass it about to your logicators, will you?"

The other Masters nodded and promised to do so. Bendarek reflected that it was pleasant to think that Horslas would probably actually be pleased to know what had happened to him; and that H'llon felt that he had a chance of high achievement.

Isimy was concerned too with H'llon's assessment that Banessan felt that life owed him; the boy was generally resentful, though he was working well enough now. Isimy could not see him ever wearing Journeyman's knots though!

oOoOo

Horslas was indeed glad to find out that his descent into serious bullying had a root cause that was partly beyond control; and was glad to discuss his feelings and analyse how he had come more and more under Banessan's control, and how Banessan had liked to show off to him. Elissa made extensive notes; as she said, having the inside story direct, as it were, from the runnerbeast's mouth, gave them an advantage in recognising the phenomenon another time.

"And you'll be logicator expert in picking up on it" she said to Horslas. "I should think that Master Bendarek would take your word immediately if you recommend splitting two apprentices."

Horslas grinned.

"Well I can think of some that should be separated by the length of the continent for peace of mind for the rest of us" he said "but none yet have I seen with the same tendencies."

"Good" said Elissa. "Yes, Ambreen and Sheesha have rather woken up to the fact that they haven't annoyed anyone for several months; I should have realised it was too good to last."

"What have they done NOW?" demanded Sadvia, wearily. Having Ambreen as a little sister could be wearing!

Elissa grinned.

"There's a bunch of senior apprentices who think that they are about to make Journeyman, and who are practising giving orders rather prematurely; not real bullying, but past what I like. The girls cheeked them egregiously and were well cuffed for it. I didn't stop that, the girls had asked for it, though I did tell the senior apprentices that they were exceeding their authority and that if they could not manage to use the limited authority they had appropriately, they were jeopardising their chance of being made up to Journeyman. Which I think settled THEIR hash. Only, unaware I had taken matters in hand, those little horrors planned their own revenge…" here she broke of and dissolved into gurgles of mirth.

"And you a responsible Journeyman!" said Gerney with mock severity. "Yes, I know the three lads you mean, and a fourth one who runs with them at times. I will NOT be recommending their promotion unless they buck their ideas up. Go on – if you've recovered from the giggles."

Elissa grinned.

"You know the necessary block up at the sawhouse has a channel that runs under the seats? Well, our small horrors played hookey from Tirris' finishing class, with the other girls covering for them, having suffered equally in the past; because the seniors were with Challer at the time. Came the break and they went to the necessary, and I do wonder if they'd had their klah spiked to make sure of it… to make all want to sit down that is. The kids had made paper boats like you do with birch bark, only they got some reject paper sheets, and set light to them, and sailed them downstream. Four anguished and strangled yelps in a row! I was up there and I heard it…" she laid her head in her arms sobbing with laughter. "It was exquisite revenge and I have to say, deserved, so I took the expedient of looking for them in the finish shop and left Tirris to deal with them for playing hookey as the best way to enact discipline for it" and she collapsed into mirth again.

"Shells! Half the necessaries at Threewoods are like that!" said Horslas in lively horror. "I AM glad none of our brats there were so creative!"

"It'll come" said Gerney, in a resigned tone. "You'll probably get to see it when you're teaching there, lad!"

Horslas was overcome at the idea that he might one day be trusted to teach at Threewoods!

"Th-theyre idiots and d-deserve it" said Tirlo. "I w-wish we had Sh-Shoris to come up w-with some phrase about b-being s-somewhat s-scrotally singed!"

"We don't need him; you did it instead" chuckled Elissa "Not that it's even really that bad, the channel's deep enough that there's no damage, just a degree of unwonted warmth from the south as you might say. If they'd been badly burned I'd have had more to say to the girls!"

oOoOo

Redlan and Josis, as senior apprentices, determined to keep an eye on the four rather self-opinionated boys. They were of an age with Sadvia and her twin Kyal; and had generally deferred to the Ranking boy before he had left to take up the post as Journeyman Woodcrafter in his father's own Hold. Tirlo and Teerel, themselves also seniors, passed this on to the two new seniors; and approved the idea of new eyes looking at the group!

"We just have always thought them daft and so have taken no account of them" said Teerel. "Barek is their leader; he's also the youngest at seventeen. The hanger on and sometime fourth is Shardo; he's not so bad, though some of his work is ill researched and all the neat finishing on Pern can't hide a poorly-drawn dragon design from the outset. Elvy's just a fool and Pompous Portin came half-trained from a journeyman father who filled the boy's head with nonsense about how wonderful he was. Worse than Birgel, who is at least a sport now we've broken him of being childish" he added.

The new seniors observed all four; none was particularly nasty as such, just rather conscious of their dubious position and inclined to feel rather above 'the kids'. Cutting out Shordo, the hanger-on, was a simple matter; a smile from pretty Josis had the boy far more interested in impressing her than in hanging around with the others! It was perhaps unscrupulous, but Josis knew that the hearts of young men were both susceptible and changeable; and hoped that she could instil a few sensible ideas in him during his infatuation! He was a serious boy, and knowledgeable, so conversation with him was no chore, and Josis was glad of that. His work was excellent too, if one ignored his poor design work.

After all, a Journeyman could always pick designs from those kept in the great design book sewn together from the individual leaves that was stored in the design shop.

Redlan chatted to Elvy; and found his pomposity an overlay covering uncertainty in the face of the confident Barek. Redlan dragged Elvy into helping Horslas catch up to Senior, after explaining the whole matter to Horslas!

Tirlo spoke to Journeyman Leichalle, Master Challer's daughter; and Pompous Portin found himself as a forestry assistant away, most of the time, from the rest of the hall, which as he was inclined to go on rather about the efficiency of the sawmill and boast about his knowledge of different trees had rather been something he had brought upon himself.

The high-moderate assertiveness situation may not have been there; but some situations were better diffused before they happened. And without cronies to fuel their pomposity, the four seniors might too do better, as well as causing less ructions!. 

_The gentle reader might recognise the high/medium dominance syndrome as typified by Leopold and Loeb or Brady and Hindley._


	8. Chapter 8

_My apologies for late posting. My elderly white cat had a fatal heart attack over night and I'm rather at sixes and sevens.  
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_Serene; thanks for reading, and as you've got this far I'm presuming you enjoy even if you can't find any differences in my characters. I'm a bit puzzled where you find a Krait and Severus pair in Josis though, when Josis doesn't even have a boyfriend in mind ! I don't think I repeat the characters in every story though there may be character traits that appear more than once. If there weren't 'types' you couldn't have a science of psychology. Incidentally, I wrote all but the most recently posted of my dragonrider stories before anyone had even heard of JK Rowling and Harry Potter.  
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**Chapter 8**

Starting apprentices were not generally expected to achieve a standard sufficient for stamping for sale by the first Spring Gather; this turn however, four of the new ones had managed each at least one small item! Craftbred Lirysa had a good solid grounding in jointing and had made a small wooden box with a simple but effective marquetry pattern applied to the lid. She had a decorative flair for the work and enjoyed it. Mart had produced a set of decorative spoons and a carved box, building on what he had taught himself whilst Holdless and delighted in having the specialist tools he had never even known existed before, and the training to use them. Piret, the flaxen-haired son of a Hold-based Journeyman, had also produced a couple of good plain boxes, varying one by making the lid with turned spindles set in a frame to hold secure and yet display the contents. He had made it the size to take a pack of dragon poker cards; the decorative backs might then show through.

Kispre had also been busy. He produced two turned fruit bowls and a turned box; and his dragonpoker card box had the traditional passing dragons chip carved into the lid and was free of any other adornment. It was careful work and the others admired it very much.

"I like that" said Mart. "It's so technical, much more so than my free-drawn fellis flowers. You're well good, our Kispre."

Kispre was pleased.

"But you have more imagination, Ginger" he said. "If I had to just carve something, my mind would go blank. Wood speaks to you of patterns to ease from it the way it only speaks to me on the lathe."

"Guess I'm proud of both of you, and to be your friend" said Tassarek. He had a talent for lathe that, whilst not of Kispre's level, was still exceptional; but he had decided that he would not offer the half dozen lace bobbins he had made for sale, but would hope to add to them for the next Gather. And Gerney had praised his restraint.

"We're all glad to be each other's friends and proud of each other, I guess" said Mart. "Reckon we can pull each other up and move past the pudding-heads we joined with. I mean, our dorm and the girls are all right – reckon they might sort dorms by talent – but the rest are pretty gormless."

Tassarek nodded.

"Vivion wants to pull up; him being thirteen already" he said. "Why don't we get him, Adan, Piret and Bredey together and help each other? Reckon we can push each other on, though it's you and Kispre are the real high flyers."

"I won't be allowed to be Journeyman before I'm fourteen anyway" said Kispre. "Almost 'zackly four turns. Reckon I could be more useful helping others than just marking time."

The boy had already passed the tool care and basic jointing classes and was taking cabinet making with much older boys; Master Bendarek didn't not believe in letting the brighter lads get bored!

oOoOo

Elissa's own fosterlings had also been busy; Beka and Lianka had both produced various turned items that they had been working on since the Autumnal Gather; these were such items as boxes and bowls which always sold well. They had also collaborated to make small decorative notebooks with leaves of paper held between delicately carved covers by the expedient of a ribbon passing through pierced holes. Thin sheets of wood that had been failed veneer cuts from those learning the skill had been pierced by a lattice of carved leaves for the fronts that the little girls had spent much time over, and a piece of shot sisal-silk was glued in place behind to shimmer through the carving. It also gave strength to the delicate piece of wood. The ribbon was chosen to match the fabric. The girls had also asked permission to try wood-dyes in vats of paper pulp to colour some of the sheets; and consequently had apricot coloured leaves in a notebook with orange fabric, and pale blue in one with Harper blue. The fabrics were scraps begged from Saralla's patchwork bag, for the notebooks had been made a convenient size for a pouch. On the suggestion of Gerney they had also turned sticks of wood as pencils and coloured the outsides with matching varnish, drilling through them to insert good willow charcoal. Anyone would have a knife to sharpen them, but for convenience they used lathe to turn an initial point with a smoother cone than anyone could achieve by knife. Most people would have no need of precious graphite for pencils, and this prevented the charcoal from either breaking in the pouch or making a mess of the fingers holding it to use.

"Just what every young lady should have!" admired Sadvia.

"And Harpers too, we thought" said Lianka seriously "For jotting down tunes or noting drum measures."

"And stewards for noting down things to be done, only they'll prob'ly like the plain ones" said Beka. "With more paper, more people will want to write notes; and with firelizards too, it's a handy size for sending messages, 'cos its easy to tear out."

"We thought it we made fancy ones, Ranking people would like them and it'd make them fashionable" said Lianka "'Cos people like to copy the Ranking, you know."

Sadvia nodded.

She knew!

oOoOo

Kisra's work was more ambitious.

She had prepared a number of chairs and stools, the legs and stringers turned to be identical. The chairs had backs of eight dowels shaped with a spokeshave rather than the lathe, a tool with which the little girl had recently been coming to grips. It enabled her to give them an oval cross-section.

"I'd rather have turned them" she told Gerney "but for something plain it's profligate to take time on the lathe when they can be done another way, and I've made a virtue of necessity in making them flattened cylinders."

Gerney hid a smile at his little cousin's serious desire to avoid taking another's turn at the lathe.

"Well, Kisra, as my senior special, you'll be learning how to use the water driven lathe that I am building, like your brother's. H'llon has let me copy his plans. You will also learn how to use the hand cranked lathe to be able to teach on it; and you will be helping me put together more treadle lathes. I also have a mind to build some basic pole lathes; and teach the making of them, just to enable those who travel to Holds to have some kind of lathe. My best turners must know how to build them."

Kisra nodded seriously.

"Yes, it would be just horrid to be somewhere without a lathe" she said "and if something happened and we couldn't get parts for real ones, we'd have to keep the skill alive with pole lathes, like what it was before the Wood Hall started."

"I know, I was there at the revival you know" said Gerney, dryly. "But you are right not to take all that we have for granted, Kisra; we've lost a lot of technology since the time of the Ancients. Just because we're building up doesn't mean we might not need to fight to keep it alive in the future."

He did not say, if people like Sifer of Bitra led a revolution against things like the Printcrafters who spread education, Sifer being clever enough to realise it was harder to violate the rights of educated masses. Sifer would be likely to blame the Woodcrafters for giving rise to the Printcrafters too, and the Smithcrafters for encouraging innovation and the Harpers for keeping alive the charter. That was over Kisra's head at the moment. It was, in the meantime, Gerney's ambition that every apprentice who showed any ability with lathe should build their own pole lathe; he had commissioned the building of another craftshop for that purpose where those who were competent might work alone if they wished providing a senior apprentice was present and at least two people were in the workshop; for the pole lathes held less risk than the powerful treadle lathes and Journeyman supervision should not be required.

oOoOo

Josis also had plenty of goods for sale; several small boxes decorated with marquetry and parquetry, such as always sold; and some more solid furniture. She had made a full sized clothes press after the basic style of the poor example Idoghen used as his 'good bad example', less highly decorated but with a design of leaves in maple on teak running between each shelf, and patterns of leaves on each drawer. Each drawer was lined too with a veneer of sandalwood to give the clothes a pleasant smell and help keep them aired.

Josis had also made two plain chests suitable for storing clothes or scrolls or valuables; and had decorated them sparingly with a frame of inlay work around the lids. One block of inlay moved to one side to lock the lid down to prevent the contents being spilled if the chests were used to transport things. Going to a Gather by road with Tragen, and seeing the havoc a wheel leaving the road could cause with things on the waggon had prompted this; and she had worked hard with Master Jaben to design the mechanism! The Jointcrafter had become almost animated over so practical an idea, once he understood that it was not for decoration only; and Josis was glad. She did not need, as a general rule, to work with the dour Jointcrafter, but she also knew that he disapproved of any apprentice who enjoyed marquetry. Where Master Idoghen advocated restraint in decoration and teased Master Tuon in a friendly fashion, Master Jaben hated all frivolity and had an ongoing feud with the Decorations Master. Josis did not mention to Jaben her intent to add inlay work to her chests. Even such restrained work might have brought Jaben's ire down upon her head and led to him refusing to help her!

It seemed strange; but in a large crafthall, personality clashes had to be taken into account, Josis supposed, and could affect the whole atmosphere if not adroitly handled by such skilled Masters as Master Bendarek. And, Josis thought shrewdly, it was a measure of worthiness to be a Journeyman to be able to handle prickly and opposed personalities!

oOoOo

Late Spring had brought a visiting Journeyman-teacher from Threewoods Crafthall. Journeyman Hagel was Birgel's father and was to work with Master Jaben, as assistant jointcrafter, for a couple of sevendays. Apart from those boys who specialised in jointcrafting and cabinet making, the latter working with both Master Jaben and Master Idoghen, this meant that he was mostly working with the younger apprentices or those who had not yet managed to pass basic jointcraft. It was considered something of a disgrace not to have passed both mandatory classes, jointcraft and toolcare, after three turns at the crafthall; most achieved the required grades in two turns and many after only one. Kispre was the only first-turner to be excused both, but had started turning up for jointcrafting again to learn about Senior apprentice Josis' clever locks, as he explained to Master Jaben.

"They don't TELL you that there's exciting things to learn when they excuse you the class" said Kispre earnestly. "Once you do dovetails and tongue-and-groove you just get told you don't need more, but there IS more, isn't there?"

"My dear young fellow, of course there is!" said Master Jaben. "So long as you are interested in the intrinsic beauty of the article not flapping around hiding it with marquetry!"

"I don't actually have much time for marquetry" said Kispre, who performed the tasks set by master Tuon with excellent precision and no enthusiasm.

Master Jaben was delighted.

"Had you decided yet on any speciality?" he asked.

Kispre nodded.

"Turning, sir. Turning's something you gotta be honest with the wood over. You can't hide it if you've messed up."

Jaben nodded, disappointed but mollified by the boy's reasoning.

"Well, well, perhaps you'll take jointcrafting further too" he said, recalling just how young the boy was. He would have covered enough turning for mastery as like as not before he was old enough to be a Journeyman even.

"Yes, sir; I heard a rumour too that there's a clever thing called a puzzle box that has a secret way to open it. That sounds exciting too!"

"You might almost be H'llon's son, not sired by that idiot brother of his" said Jaben with more accuracy than tact.

"Sir, I'm Master Gerney's son now" said Kispre.

"Hmm, well, nothing wrong with Gerney" said Jaben.

oOoOo

It was fortunate that Hagel arrived after this exchange or he might have been shocked at Jaben's frank and uncomplimentary opinion on other crafters expressed to an apprentice and in front of others; Jaben seriously believed that only his own opinion held any validity and that the shortcomings of others were so blindingly obvious that mentioning them made no difference. Since he rarely deigned to gossip with his young pupils, Master Bendarek never felt a need to reprimand the eccentric Jointmaster; only Kispre's aplomb – and relationship to half the other masters – had led to Jaben being freer in his speech than usual.

Hagel found the Master generally monosyllabic save when explaining different joints to the class with good clear blackboard diagrams. Hagel had studied under Jaben himself once; but the memory was hazy, having left him largely for Master Idoghen for cabinet making and had only followed the extra classes working largely independently as senior apprentices were wont to do. Hagel was fascinated by Kispre's work, alone in a corner, constructing the interlocking blocks of a lock.

"He's a clever boy" Jaben grunted. "Precise. Careful, Pity he's already stolen to specialise in lathe. Could go far."

"I've never seen the like of what it is that he's making, Master" said Hagel.

"New thing. Young senior apprentice helped me design it. It locks a trunk so a jolt won't open it" Jaben sounded smug; he had forgotten that the idea and initial design had been largely Josis' own and his part but to improve on it with her.

Josis was popular with the little ones, being ever ready to help out; and there was a subdued mutter of discontent at that. Hagel stiffened; but the mutter subsided, and the children got on quietly, if resentfully, with their work.

At the break, one of the children distracted Master Jaben with a slightly fatuous question; and the two little girls volunteered to take the visiting Journeyman to get klah.

"Please, Journeyman" said the dark haired one earnestly, "you must take some of what Master Jaben says with a pinch of salt."

"Yes" said the brown one. "It was senior apprentice Josis who thought up that lock, only she needed the Master's knowledge to get it quite right."

"Senior apprentice Josis is awf'ly good and she's nice to us kids too" Adanna said "But Master Jaben forgets that anyone has brains but him."

"I see" said Journeyman Hagel. "And what do you expect me to do about it?"

"Oh, nothing, sir" said Lirysa "but we want you to KNOW that it's Josis who was clever. And to be sort of wary in case you invent something."

"I see" said Hagel. "Are you not disrespecting a Master by damning his reputation like that, don't you think?"

The girls exchanged looks.

"I don't THINK so, sir" said Adanna. "Everyone here knows, you see, and it's les disrepute to the craft if you know too, and don't have to get waxy and complain to the Master Woodcrafter 'cos you have an idea usurped. Do I mean usurped?"

"It gets the idea across" said Hagel dryly. "So you're telling me in the spirit of protecting the craft as well as me?"

"And Josis" said Lirysa. "Because fair's fair, and you're good looking and not so young as the boys she's with."

"I'm also married" said Hagel, hastily.

"Oh" said Lirysa, disappointed. "Oh well, never mind. But fair's fair anyway after all."

"So it is" said Hagel. It would not do to assume the children here meant cheek; they all seemed open and confiding from what he had seen, and Alaran…. Well, he could see the young Journeyman as an apprentice meaning no cheek but just telling someone something.

oOoOo

The Gather Day was not as fine as might have been hoped, drizzling depressingly first thing, and rain threatening all day, even after it brightened up. Still, little could dampen the enthusiasm of apprentices on a day off!

It was a mistake on the part of the new bubbly pie stall holder to accuse Ambreen and Sheesha of theft on the grounds of purple stains of juice and crumbs about their mouths; they had already patronised the regular stall holder, and they explained this politely.

"Apprentices are all the same, and you scruffy boys are the worst!" shouted the man, shaking an arm of each of the little girls. "Can't even get your hair cut!"

Then he took them by an ear each, with one big hand, and hit them about the heads with the other hand.

Ambreen and Sheesha were sore in more ways than one.

"I think we should pay him back" said Sheesha.

"I think we should lay a formal complaint" said Ambreen, her formal, Ranking training coming to the fore.

"I think we should lay a formal complaint AND pay him back" said Sheesha.

That was quickly decided.

Elissa was the proper person to complain to; and Ambreen's father as a Holder, and both listened indignantly when the little girls ran them to earth chatting with Sadvia.

"Well I shan't renew his licence and I shall give him a piece of my mind for unfounded accusations and manhandling a pair of little girls" said Holder Syal grimly.

"And I'll see the Master and have a description of him forwarded to all crafthalls as a bully and unreliable" said Elissa.

Master Bendarek and Holder Syal both went to see the stallholder; who blustered a lot, and turned quite grey when it sank into his consciousness that the children were girls and that one of them was the Holder's daughter.

"She's not the best behaved child on Pern" said Syal "Or the neatest or quietest; but she is NOT a thief and she is NOT a liar, and as her nearest male relative I am seriously considering calling you out to satisfaction over that imputation."

The stall holder couldn't apologise fast enough then.

By the time the stallholder 's attention was back on his stall, revenge from the apprentices had also been administered.

The girls had procured some firepepper; and had rounded up all the younger female apprentices, from Kisra downwards to help them, if they would, to sprinkle each bubbly pie with the stuff. They were open pies, and the brown powder sank into the juice invisibly. All the girls had been willing to volunteer seeing the bruises on their friends' faces!

"And I can smell klahbark spice in it, so if he sees it he'll think that's what it is" said Ambreen with satisfaction. "Let's lurk and watch."


	9. Chapter 9

_Many thanks Serene, your sympathy is deeply appreciated. R'gar and T'lana came first, in 1989 when I wrote that. Then Elissa and Gerney. I grant you some similarities in relationship though I fondly believe some difference in characters. I designed Krait for Severus after I got as far as OP in 2004. She's a lot harder and more ruthless than any of the Pernese as is Severus. I can't see Krait ever taking a passive role as T'lana did in the ill-fated picnic however unwise it might be to take an active one. Nor could I see her losing any sleep over killing a creep like Koreb. The mentor/pupil relationship at its best is always a close one, whether it's sexual or not and yes, I do use it over. The closeness can engender an emotional closeness that leads further, as recognised in the old tale of Abelard and Heloise and in the practise of training a boy who was also a lover by the Greek philosophers. I don't feel qualified to write a homosexual love story however, in a more than peripheral sense. I suppose I have a weakness for taciturn men! Gerney isn't so much taciturn as Aspergic and wary of trusting after an initial betrayal. Fortunately for him, Elissa is a lot more single minded than T'lana. By the way, my husband is a number of years older than I am... I have my own preferences that do come through! thanks for pointing this out, I won't necessarily do anything to change it but I'll try to be aware not to be formulaic.  
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**Chapter 9**

The revenge succeeded beyond their wildest dreams.

The next customers along were Ch'sseri and D'vind, who made a point of visiting the Woodcrafter Hall Gather, and were generally the first dragonriders there.

Buying a half dozen pies, they each bit into the dainties; and coughed, spitting the mouthful onto the ground.

"Are you trying to POISON us, you unspeakable creature?" demanded D'vind, as soon as he could speak.

The man goggled.

Ch'sseri had belted for a mug of water and begged paper to fold a cup for some for his weyrmate. D'vind drank thankfully.

"Take your stall down NOW!" said Ch'sseri. "Those pies aren't fit to feed animals!"

"But – but, good Riders, I don't understand" cried the stallholder.

"Eat one" said D'vind, grimly "and you'll eat it all as punishment…you fool, you used the wrong spice!"

The stallholder, under D'vind's insistence, choked down a whole peppered bubbly pie; and fled for water.

"I say, we've cost him a lot of marks" said Sheesha, having qualms of remorse.

"Yes, and that'll be a better lesson than a ticking off from Master Bendarek and daddy" said Ambreen. "People who see thieves where they aren't are gen'ly dishonest themselves. Daddy's said so, and we've learned that too at Logicators' meetings. Bet he stiffed people; and that's our revenge for THEM too."

Sheesha brightened up.

Such casuistry was perfect reassurance to salve her conscience.

He was a rotter and a bully and probably not honest; it had almost been their DUTY to punish him.

oOoOo

The little girls almost changed their minds later.

Elissa approached them each with a bubbly pie.

"I don't say that creep didn't deserve extra seasoning; but we WERE going to blacklist him anyway" she said. "And I know from which fertile minds peppered pies arose. One each; enjoy it all please."

Their faces were a study.

Kisra, overhearing, said,

"We were all involved, us girls; all girls got to stand together against bullies."

"I appreciate the honesty" said Elissa. "I expect each of those who were involved to gather up the discarded peppered pies and take a mouthful each as vengeance for the sufferings of Ch'sseri and D'vind. The lot of you, including you two, can clear up the mess."

Ambreen and Sheesha choked through their pies and fled for water.

The clearing up did not take long with so many.

"It was fardling well worth it too" said Kisra.

"Yes, it was" piped up Kilaia, who had not wanted to be left out, even though nowhere near old enough to be an apprentice.

Some appetites for bubbly pies were, however to be a little suppressed for a while!

oOoOo

Ch'sseri and D'vind, on hearing the story, willingly forgave the little girls, giving them each a mock cuff and laughing ruefully.

"You're awfully good sports" said Sheesha.

"Dragonriders are supposed to stand for justice. Reckon you gave him that!" said D'vind.

oOoOo

On the whole, the apprentices voted the Gather a success; sales of their goods had been total, despite the inclement weather; though Syal's Hold was small, people came from far and wide for the Gathers to buy Woodcrafter wares that were not available anywhere else on Pern, save perhaps from the High Reaches Weyr craftstall.

The two fancy and several plainer notebooks went very early, and all the boxes. One of Josis; trunks went to Sadvia's next sister Indeela, who was to go to learn Weavercraft as a paying student and wanted it to store her clothes in; her mother brought the clothes press!

The other chest went to a Benden Dragonrider, who liked the locking mechanism so much he was playing with it as he took it away!

Kisra's chairs went to a young married couple setting up a cothold; they had the marks they were given as a bridegift to buy furniture, and they also bought several bowls and Mart's spoons.

Boxes, of course, always sold, and there were styles to suit the tastes of all, and others from older apprentices and even journeyman. Bowls, spindles for threads, bobbins and spoons were things that people continuously had to replace; and the stall was emptied long before the end of the Gather, even of the few expensive Master pieces.

Even the newest apprentices earned a few sixteenths; though they might not make work good enough to be stamped, they had planed and shaped pieces in Master Jaben's class that were fit together by the Hall cooper, held together with copper bands as buckets, another perennial necessity! He was a scrupulous man and shared his profit with those who made his bucket staves and bases.

Everyone was happy.

Except perhaps the hasty bubbly pie vendor; and it is to be said that no-one much cared about him!

oOoOo

Back at the Hall, Hagel's heart lurched at the sight of two young girls who returned with horribly bruised faces. He beckoned them over .

"Yes, sir?" Ambreen beamed. She had forgotten her bruises.

"Who hurt your faces?" Hagel demanded.

The girls looked at each other and pulled a face.

"He was the mostest nastiest unfair porcine of a bubbly pie seller at the Gather" said Ambreen with a cheerful disregard for grammar that would have shocked her Hold Harper.

"He accused us of THIEVING!" said Sheesha "And beat on us without any evidence!"

"So we filled his pies with firepepper" said Ambreen.

"And Elissa made us eat a whole one each because two dragonmen got to taste them" said Sheesha.

"And it was jolly well worth it 'cos D'vind and Ch'sseri made him eat a whole one too" said Ambreen "AND my father threatened to call him out for impugning my honour, though by RIGHTS it should have been a Master to do that 'cos I belong to the Hall while I'm an apprentice, only I'm the baby and Daddy was well waxy".

She came up for air.

"Mine would have thumped him" said Sheesha, "if he'd been there, I mean, but he's a Journeyman so he'd count for Hall too. And Master Bendarek sent a description of him as an apprentice-beater and slanderer, but we didn't find that out 'til later."

"I see" said Hagel. "If my daughter had been falsely accused of stealing, I should think I'd be, er, waxy too. Why did he think you had?"

"'Cos we were scruffy-looking and had remains of bubbly pies on us from the proper stall I guess" said Ambreen "As if we'd be stupid enough to let any evidence show if we were thieves! And he was stupid for he thought we were boys who'd let our hair grow."

"It sounds as though the Hall here really backs its apprentices against outsiders" said Hagel. "Though, er, Elissa was right to punish you as steps were being taken."

They nodded.

"For causing distress to innocent parties, which was D'vind and Ch'sseri" said Sheesha "Only THEY forgave us 'cos we apologised 'cos we thought we ought to just explain to them."

"We'd've accepted THEM cuffing us for half poisoning them" said Ambreen "but they're real sports! And they're a very sweet couple too, you know."

That sounded like a phrase she had picked up from an elder!

The other little girls had clustered round.

"We all helped pepper the pies" put in Adanna "So we all had to have a taste. And clear up. And our reg'lar pie maker promised us all a free bag of pies next Gather when we feel like them again for getting rid of someone who undercuts by cheating."

"I said he was dishonest" said Ambreen. "DID he now! I say, what sport! How did you find out, kiddy?"

The second-turners delighted in calling the new intake 'kiddy'. In point of fact Adanna was half a turn older than Ambreen.

"Oh my father's the buyer for the kitchen in our Hold and we got chatting to people" said Adanna. "I understand how many beans make five you see."

Hagel was learning a lot; mostly that normal children were open, confiding, inherently just and prone to mischief as much to enact justice as to relieve tedium!

oOoOo

It was on Gerney's suggestion that Hagel spent a little time in each Master's class.

"If you want to progress to Master, it's best that you look at the styles of all the Masters; and also you'll need to know the standard required at each level for all the skills to know whether to advance an apprentice to Journeymen or not, when your Hall has enough Masters to do so" said Gerney.

"I'm embarrassed now at having sent Birgel – though it was partly an excuse to remove him from Maybret" said Hagel.

Gerney grimaced.

"Well we soon found THAT out, and Tirlo told off quietly to show him how to make life difficult for the man on the top of the saw pit…not that he needs that now. He's doing very well; he won't take too long to make the grade. I should think if we didn't have a strong Master here, Batol would have been much more trouble than he was. Although," he examined his knuckles with satisfaction, "though I could had killed him for doing what he did, I had been longing to sink my fist into his face for a long while."

"What did he do?" asked Hagel, a little shocked that stern Gerney should be moved to hitting a man.

"There was a child who had been ill-treated – you don't need the details, but it was bad – who was very cowed. Batol told her to go and cut her wrists as she was too useless to do anything else. She tried" he added grimly. "She's my fosterling now; and a special. Then… well it's another story, and the kids who caught him at it have been discreet so I'll follow their example. He's serving as tool journeyman in a distant Mine right now."

"Is the Woodcrafter Hall peppered with wrong 'uns?" asked Hagel, despairingly.

"No more than any craft – or Hold" shrugged Gerney. "Weyrs get less because of dragon choice, but we've seen the likes of T'kul too. Some people are just wrong 'uns. If they're caught early they may be able to be changed. Come to the logicator meetings; you'll learn a lot. Oh, and there's no rank between logicators, so nothing can be dismissed as cheek. Rank disappears at the door and is resumed after."

"That doesn't cause problems?" asked Hagel in surprise.

"Hasn't so far. The kids who come understand that logicating suspends normal rules. And I'll listen outside meetings if one approaches me rather more abruptly than is courteous if it is logicator business. Sometimes speed is important."

Hagel was amazed. He was not sure what suspending the laws on respect of knots might do in the fragile discipline of Threewoods.

Gerney clapped him on the shoulder.

"A Turn or two, lad, and you'll be able to trust your kids too. That's what you were thinking, wasn't it?"

Hagel nodded.

It was nice that the Lathemaster understood!

And nice to think that he believed that there would ultimately BE that level of trust and discipline at Threewoods!

oOoOo

It was a month, as Preslan put it through a mouthful of well-jammed porridge of 'comingses and goingses'.

Master Bendarek's cousin arrived rather abruptly from his assignment of building looms at the Weavercraft Hall at Rivenhill; and Gerney told Elissa that a request from that Crafthall's Masterweaver Lynger for 'an open minded and progressive Journeyman who can manage not to insult the Weyrfolk' had been made.

"Ouch" said Elissa. "Do I see homophobic written on Benor's forehead?"

"He hasn't got anything written on his forehead, mother Elissa" said Preslan, forgetting that staying quiet meant being forgotten to eavesdrop.

"It was a figure of speech meaning that we recognise a trait in him, dear" said Elissa tranquilly. "Have you finished? Good, run along."

Preslan was thoroughly disgusted with himself for missing what might have been a choice piece of gossip to hug to himself; but he obediently went.

There were tones of voice that it was most unwise to disobey.

oOoOo

After some deliberation, Master Bendarek decided to send Sadvia. The girl was a fairly skilled weaver from her upbringing as a Holder's child, expected to be competent in all needlecraft and clothcraft, and a quick course from Master Jaben soon had her happy with the principle of building looms. Sadvia also copied patterns to take. Further information had come in via the now-Brown Rider Weywoodcrafter T'fer, a popular Impression at the Woodcrafter Hall, that H'llon and a Weaverbred lad who was a clutchmate of T'fer had invented a new type of loom. They wanted someone who was not – as T'fer wrote on the note to the Master – an idiot, to help build it. T'fer and Sadvia had walked out together for a while, though it had not lasted, and when Bendarek let the Journeyman Rider know his choice, T'fer enthusiastically endorsed it as excellent.

Sadvia was both excited and regretful to leave her home; for the Woodcrafter Hall was her home as well as being a stone's throw from her father's Hold. Of course, as she admitted to herself, many Holders' daughters were long married and living a great distance from their homes by her age. And it was too an exciting proposition to be passed up!

"H'llon is brilliant" she said to Josis, "as of course you know. It's a new way of weaving brocade that will make it faster, though I don't yet know how. It'll be fun to actually be involved in one of H'llon's innovations instead of just hearing stories about it!"

"Wasn't the other Journeyman up to it?" Josis was a little taken aback. "Surely a Journeyman has to be adaptable?"

"Such naïveté, my dear!" laughed Sadvia. "A lot of people reach Journeyman and stop thinking, you know! once they've made the grade they reckon they can make the marks and don't have to try any more unless they've ambitions to be a Master. Anyway, from what I've heard from T'fer and L'sya the idiot told the youngest apprentices that the dragonrider – a Green Rider – who was staying to confirm for Journeyman would hurt their bottoms."

Josis gasped.

"What a wicked thing to say!" she said indignantly.

"Yes, that's why he was sent back here with a stiff note; and I reckon the Master won't have him teaching!" said Sadvia.

"I should think not!" said Josis.

She would miss Sadvia acutely; but she was truly glad for her friend that she would have an exciting task to pursue!

oOoOo

In point of fact, Master Bendarek did NOT want his cousin teaching; and so he sent him to an outlying craftcot with instructions to build looms to the orders of various Holds since the standard request for looms for non craftfolk seemed to be about his limit.

As Benor hated showing weaver apprentices how to make looms it was less a punishment than job satisfaction; but at least he was out of the way and would not be making trouble.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Josis wondered which of the Threewoods Journeymen would visit next, once Hagel took his leave; for the Jointcrafter had come to chat to her about her lock and let slip that all the teaching Journeymen hoped to visit Lemos to help them on their way towards Mastery. She liked Hagel, though she thought a couple of weeks at Lemos had done much to help him lose a certain childishness in manner that she had noticed at first.

As it turned out, further visits were to be delayed.

A fearful storm and ball lightning had caused devastation in the Threewoods region, and the need to rebuild meant that none of the Journeymen could be spared.

"And Banessan made good, saving two little craftcot girls at the expense of having his feet burned half off" Arkis reported to the logicators.

Horslas paled.

"We were friends…can I go to him?"

"No, lad" said Arkis, gently. "It's best if you two don't see anything of each other for several turns at least; but you may write, and I'll append a note explaining why you may not go. But there's no point yet; he'll be on fellis for many a sevenday yet."

"That bad?" Horslas was shocked.

"His life hung in the balance for a while. But his courage has earned him friends, which will help him – as your courage in speaking out about your bullying has earned you friends."

Horslas nodded.

He had admired, feared and hated Banesson in almost equal measure.

Now he had real friends it had come as a revelation that he had never actually LIKED Banessan.

Arkis nodded understanding as emotion played on Horslas' face.

"Aye, lad; you feel you ought to want to go to him. But a letter of support will suffice. And better for him too not to meet up with you, as much as for your sake."

Horslas nodded again. Arkis was right; and after all, Banessan was under the charge of Arkis' older brother Isimy.

oOoOo

Summer brought the Summer Gather, and the acrobats returned, eager to search out Elissa and her fosterlings. Elissa's sharp eyes picked out that the older boy of the family was missing, and that was bad news. Lenner had fallen and broken his hip and would not be the tumbler he had been before. He was at the weyr and was being cared for, and the family proud to explain that both Jessenia and her little brother Roban were now J'enia and R'ban. They were all trying to talk at once!

A visiting Bronze Rider from Igen Weyr arrived at about this time and J'enia was a passenger and the acrobats did not have to tell Elissa that J'enia had Impressed a Queen! J'enia had further news for her family – that Lenner was now L'ner having Impressed a Brown from the next clutch, if not from the tiers, then certainly over age and unexpectedly when he volunteered to be a partner for an undersized egg to give it Impression – but had found a full sized dragon!

"What happened to the small egg?" Elissa demanded.

The Bronze Rider grinned.

"She's a Green; one of the female volunteers Impressed her."

"Excellent!" approved Elissa. "ALL dragons' lives are important."

The Bronze Rider nodded.

"We came to that conclusion too" he said. "S'aya is honoured by us by her choice."

"Well, all the best from the Woodcrafter Hall to the newly Impressed!" said Elissa warmly!

oOoOo

It was more momentous to the apprentices, of course, to be able to sell some goods at the Gather! Many of the new intake had managed to make the grade with one item at least, even if it was only a few leaves of paper or a carved spoon. Josis had several items too, including a cabinet with fretwork doors backed with muslin after the manner of Elissa's food cabinet. Elissa liked her work very plain; Josis liked flowing lines.

Josis was actually in the throes of an argument with Gerney – now she had got used to him she quite enjoyed a heated debate with him – over a treadle-driven fretsaw. Josis did not see why it should not be possible and Gerney was arguing with her to stimulate her design powers to come up with a workable prototype. Josis was of the opinion that the design would be considerably simpler than a lathe, as a saw blade needed to move up and down while the operator moved the wood against it. Gerney felt it needed more gearing than she had initially proposed to be fast enough to make it workable. Most of the rest of the Woodcrafter Hall was sick of the matter and not a few younger ones were terrified that kind Senior Apprentice Josis would get thrown out for arguing with stern Master Gerney.

Elissa took a keen interest; she knew well that Gerney considered it to be feasible. He just wanted Josis to work harder on it!

Josis liked the effect of fretwork but like Elissa found the cutting of it to be tedious. To be able to assist that with a machine would mean that the Woodcrafter Hall could turn out more pretty things to sell, and that had to be good. It would take as steady a hand as to do fretwork by hand, but would be able to be executed by a craftsman whose wrists were less strong since cutting fretwork by hand was a painful business and tiredness meant that mistakes could be more easily made too.

oOoOo

After the Gather was over, Josis managed to draw out a design that Gerney finally approved; technically perhaps it should have been the business of Toolmaster Sanlas; and Sanlas was taking an interest, but he deferred to Gerney as the only crafter besides Challer who understood machinery. Sanlas had every intention of learning from both Gerney and Challer, but for now was content to watch while he consolidated his position as Master. He assisted Gerney, Josis and Elissa in building a prototype, initially with a wooden treadle and cogs, much greased to prevent friction fire.

The machine was a success; and Josis only cut herself twice in getting the hang of it. With Gerney's insistence that it be geared up, the rapidly moving blade cut wood like a knife through butter, and a simple fret design could be cut in mere minutes!

"And THAT goes to your credit as well as your lock" said Gerney.

"I think Master Jaben claims the lock as his, actually" said Josis.

Gerney snorted.

"And most of us know where the real credit lies! Don't worry – the Master knows!"

oOoOo

Bendarek did know.

He summoned the other Masters and spoke without preamble.

"Normally we make up new Journeymen in the autumn; but there'll be a clutch soon at High Reaches Weyr, a full month before we usually have our new Journeymen Walk; and Josis is planning to go back there with the girl who sorted out reinstating her. Is anyone opposed to her Walking the minute we hear of a clutch?"

"I'd say for her treadle fretsaw she deserves to Walk anyway, never mind her extremely high general standard and her locks" said Gerney.

"She had some input into my locks and helped a lot" said Jaben, glaring at him.

Tuon muttered,

"Old fool!" and said out loud, "The girl is excellent at decorative work, I'd be happy to suggest she teach it in T'fer's crafthall; he's done well, but he's not the best. Josis is an excellent craftsman."

Gerney reflected what a paradox Tuon could be; he had taken endless pains with T'fer, or rather Telfer, when the lad had arrived, helping to overcome the physical handicap of having been blind for turns, and still with a few sight problems at first, yet had failed to see the equal, if very different, needs of Horslas.

Arkis spoke up.

"I'd say that Josis free carves more than adequately to pass."

"Her cabinets are good quality" said Idoghen.

"Her recognition of woods is good but I am glad she's not planning on being a forester" said Challer. "She is acceptable; and her safety is good. But her heart isn't in it and it shows."

"Likewise finishing" said Tirris. "Her varnish making is extremely good, and her production of carnauba wax, but she has no interest in dyes."

"So no real objections? Good" said Bendarek. "I think she'll be an ornament to the craft – and hopefully another dragonriding friend to the craft too."

"Waste of a good crafter, swanning off on dragons" grumbled Jaben.

"Well, if you ask me" said Master Sanlas, usually shy to speak before so many more senior Masters, "If we'd not had dragonriding crafters we'd have had serious trouble before now; and would have lost the fine crafters we have in Tahnee, Lianka and Beka. Without H'llon they'd be dead and the other one that's training to be a healer."

"Quite" said Gerney. "And without dragonriding woodcrafters a number of craftcotholders in the Threewoods region would be dead; and the whole forest burned down, because they had the training to know how to make firebreaks. Do grow up, Jaben; you sound like Preslan when he's in a strop."

Jaben glared.

No man likes being likened to a lad of just eight turns old!

"No bickering, Masters, please" said Bendarek hastily. "I have more news for you too; I went to a Mastercrafter conclave yesterday as you know, and two new crafts have been approved. Some of you are involved."

Gerney jerked his head up.

"They're not trying to make us choose our primary craft or logicating are they?" he said urgently. "I'd say the founder of it would have something to say as its strength lies in the expertise of many!"

Bendarek held his hands up, laughing.

"No, nothing like that, Gerney!" he said. "The consensus was that Logicating was a special case but that accredited Logicators should have special knots to wear in addition to any other knots, as identification if people need a logicator. It's a square knot unlike any other that H'llon has proposed, and the matter is being put to Weyr and Hold too."

"Which means it won't be universally accepted" said Gerney. "Telgar Weyr and Bitra Hold will never have anything new."

"You can tell he knocks around with Bloods and dragonmen" teased Arkis.

"No more than you, you big lug" said Gerney amiably. "All right, I like that; it doesn't change a lot except that we become visible to those who DO deign to notice us. And I've yet to have the same people even fully accept the Woodcrafter Hall, so resistance to change isn't exactly new! What's the other craft?"

"Entertainers" said Bendarek, "Skilled ones like acrobats and the better actors, conjurors, fire eaters and so on. They spend a lifetime learning the skill like any other crafter; and the suggestion came from Igen Weyr who had the life of a young weyrling pair saved by acrobats. The ones that visit us are very, very skilled, and their leader a shrewd old man. I proposed him as Craftmaster."

Jaben predictably scowled; but the others nodded their heads.

"So long as standards are maintained" said Challer "And safety standards. But I suppose that's the point of having a Crafthall."

Bendarek grinned.

"And H'llon, being H'llon, brought up the safety of loving wenches too. He proposed certificates of cleanliness to protect clientele so they could be attached more or less officially to Craft or Hold and be guaranteed protection."

"He goes too far!" cried Jaben.

"Sounds a wise proposal" said Tuon, taking the opposite stand. "Young men will be young men. Girls guaranteed clear of disease deserve protection. And it'll maybe help prevent the tragedy we had when that girl, Runa, or whatever she was called, got murdered because she was pregnant; if there were clean, acceptable loving wenches to poke, less girls of good reputation would get seduced."

Bendarek was not entirely sure it would work like that; it took two to dance horizontally and Tuon was one of the Hall's more notorious horizontal dancers. He caught the man's eye, and Tuon reddened.

"If loving wenches were more acceptable" said the Decorations Master defensively "And learned conversational skills and music, perhaps, too and could be companions as well as there for sex, men would go to them with less shame. A clean girl with education I'd consider as a lover; especially if there were provision for them to be professional mistresses as it were. I like sex. I like women. I don't want to be tied to marriage, but I don't want to risk catching anything. I don't suppose I'm alone in my feelings."

"You're disgusting" said Jaben.

"He's more honest than a lot of us" rumbled Arkis. "I actually agree with Tuon."

"For a wonder," said Gerney, "so do I. You know our family's quirk of nature; if a shy lad had an…education…quietly arranged for him by a father or Master he'd be less of an idiot with the sort of girl he might later like to marry."

"You managed all right" grinned Arkis.

"Nonsense" said Tuon. "ELISSA managed him all right. Very managing girl. Scares me half to death."

There was laughter.

Elissa had put itchweed in her heir when Tuon had tried – thinking her to be older than she was – to chat her up. She got on well enough with him now, but he was wary of irritating her!

"I spoke to Lord Asgenar on that too" said Bendarek "And he liked the idea; and he's going to try to talk Lord Larad round. It's a matter of the Holdless again. A lot of loving wenches are Holdless; but if they were considered part of life and were regulated it would be a few less Holdless of unknown quantity. And less who'd be likely to pass information to the likes of Thella."

"I was dubious, but that's starting to make a lot of sense" rumbled big Challer. "I have nothing against the Holdless as such; a lot of our loggers might almost be considered Holdless, they travel about enough and I know they like their independence. But they have their code; as traders have a code, and some tinkers and acrobats and roamers and rivergypsies."

"Holdless groups could almost be said to have a mobile Hold" said Gerney "with rules covering themselves as small Holds do. Some of the larger trader groups have more members than many a small Hold, after all!"

Bendarek nodded.

"The Weyrs have highlighted the fact that some people are Holdless for no fault of their own; those born to Holdless criminals – or loving wenches – or thrown out for being elderly or crippled. And that is a shame on our society, not on those unfortunates. It is against the Charter to force those who choose to be Holdless to live another way; but the rights of those who would have liked the protection of Hold or Craft they were born to, have been violated often enough in forcing them to live Holdless. If there is a way to decrease the number of those who feel they have no choice, then we should take it. And, too, if Entertainers are Craftsfolk, even though they travel, they then have a larger stake in society and should have the protection it offers. Whilst realising of course" he added dryly "The possibility of renegades using such troupes to travel amongst."

Challer was nodding.

"Well thought out" he grunted. "Naturally the Hall backs the Master; but I for one agree with you too."

"A fine distinction" said Bendarek with a wry smile. "Thank you, Challer."

"Seconds three before Jaben makes a speech that sounds like Sifer of Bitra wrote it" said Tuon.

Jaben spluttered in impotent fury.

Resistant to change he might be; but Sifer of Bitra had opposed the inauguration of the Woodcrafter Hall, and Jaben, like all Woodcrafters, was slow to forgive that. Tuon had neatly pulled his arguments right out from under his feet!

"What about ridiculously young loving wenches and who determines what is ridiculously too young?" demanded Gerney. "I'd hate to see a child like Lianka forced into it or Beka and they are thirteen, easily as old as many a girl forced to wed by some Holderfolk."

"I should think they ought to be always offered alternatives… uh, yes, Hold charity. Hmm" said Bendarek. "And if there IS a minimum age, it'll leave younger girls with no other support Holdless. I don't know, Gerney; I really don't. I'll put some questions."

Gerney nodded.

H'llon and his High Reaches friends would doubtless have some ideas!


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Vorinia had written to Josis that Daenilth had risen; and the girl was worried, counting on her fingers the three long months and three hot weeks.

She went to Master Bendarek.

"What can I do for you, Josis? You look grave" said the Master.

"Master, I know it's out of line to ask if I am likely to make Journeyman this turn; only…. If you could give me a hint, if I am going to earn promotion I'll defer going to High Reaches Weyr for the postings and hope for another clutch. Vorinia will be disappointed but," she gulped, "she'll understand that proving myself as a woodcrafter and going with a skill to teach to Weyr children has to come first, before choosing to stand with hopes of being a clutchmate to my friend."

Bendarek smiled.

"My dear girl!" he said. "I am now going to break my own rule of telling prospective Journeymen what I propose to do. I have discussed it with the other Masters; and we are certain that you are ready. We were going to make you up to Journeyman the instant a clutch was laid; letting the Hall know your promotion was brought forward a few sevendays for special circumstances so that a Journeyman could represent the Woodcrafter Hall on the Impression sands, as you were to be made up in any case. There is no reason you should not Walk the tables now, save for tradition; and as a young Hall we do find ourselves clinging jealously to tradition."

"Oh Master! If you were going to make me up in any case then there is no reason you need break tradition, because you could announce it in my absence and send the knots on!" said Josis.

Bendarek shook his head.

"I do not want to do that, my dear, for a number of reasons; not least that High Reaches Weyr gives respect to Journeyman candidates and I see no reason that you should be deprived of that. It is also proper that the younglings you have been helping with should have the chance to cheer a popular Senior Apprentice in Walking the Tables. Such things spur THEM on too. Moreover if the promotion is for a singular, outstanding reason, such that we are sending you as a candidate carrying the honour of the Woodcrafter Hall with you then it is less of a precedent than making you up straight away – which I had considered – or declaring a Journeyman in absentia. That COULD raise problems if, say, someone had been away a few turns but the one declaration in absentia was raised as precedent, perhaps by future generations who did not realise all the background."

Josis nodded understanding.

"I see, sir; thank you for explaining that to me. And – and thank you that I shall be able to stand with Vorinia!"

"I think the friendship and loyalty of you two girls is a special thing; especially in the circumstances. It is right that you should have the chance to be clutchmates as well as friends and colleagues, for from what Elissa has said, that is considered special" said Bendarek.

"So I understand, Master: I expect if we both Impress we shall understand that more deeply. Vorinia and I adopted each other as sisters; and that means so much" said Josis.

"Why, that almost makes HER our candidate too!" Bendarek smiled. "Don't worry, my dear; I have everything well in hand!"

Josis impulsively kissed the Master on the cheek.

"THANK you, sir!" she said.

oOoOo

Knowing that she had made the grade made Josis very happy! In a little over two months she would be a Journeyman and a candidate and back with Vorinia again. Life could hold no more!

Even so it was no excuse not to work as hard as if she did not know she had already made the grade; there was much she could learn, for there was always more anyone could learn! And if she was so fortunate as to Impress, her work would be cut out caring for a dragonet and there would be little time for woodcrafting. Besides, Josis had earned enough marks at the previous two Gathers to purchase a significant quantity of materials so she might make items to put on the Childhold craftstall, and start immediately to give back to High Reaches for taking her in, and for all they had done in sorting out the situation caused by Vorinia's father.

Besides, there were two fields Josis had yet to study.

Josis was keen to learn from Master Tirris how to cut thin sheets of veneer, so she could prepare her own Marquetry materials; and she also wished to learn how to make lysesoap, it being superior to sweetsand as well as more convenient. Having worked as a laundress, it was something she understood the importance of!

The head of the Hall laundry was a young woman called Saskia, who had been promoted after the woman Ruika had been executed for the murder of the woman's own daughter. Josis had heard the story from the Logicators; and hoped Saskia had acquired the knowledge necessary before the chief laundress had died!

Saskia was one of those tiny women built of sheer energy and wiry strength; and she looked sensible and down to earth.

She listened to Josis' request and grinned.

"Well, woodcrafter, I don't often get apprentices asking how I use their by-products in one of our profitable lines!" she said. "Last one to do so is now Bronze Rider H'llon!"

"Figures" said Josis. "H'llon likes knowing things too. And perhaps more people should be asking as it IS a product of the Woodcrafter Hall. You know how to make lyesoap?"

"Oh yes" said Saskia "It's a tedious business, Ruika shrugged it off onto me and her Runa, rest she in peace, poor kid!"

"Yes, I heard the story" said Josis, "A waste and a shame to destroy two young lives."

Saskia nodded.

"She was a one, was Runa! Not even Ruika could keep her down;I said she should take her babe to the Weyr, they like feisty women there, but she was going to wait until the babe was born and decide then…. I was glad they hanged Ruika, she was always one with a slap or a pinch just to hurry people along, and her belt always ready for any larking about! It's a hard job, laundry, you got to let the young ones let off steam you know, even though you have to keep an eye that it doesn't get out of hand! Well I don't suppose you do know" she added.

"I do, actually" said Josis. "I had my rights violated and my knots taken from me and I worked six turns as a drudge doing fancy laundry and mending."

"Well, Craftsman, you know what's what then!" said Saskia "And I'll gladly teach you – if the masters permit you to learn."

"I wasn't planning on bothering to ask them" said Josis calmly. "You'll start around dawn, I presume? I can get up for that."

"An hour after is when we rise this time of turn" said Saskia. "They don't hustle us like holdbred drudges be, I reckon. And good long meal breaks and an early night. Late-shift drudges start after the afternoon break, work to midnight. Me, I stay up to supervise but I don't do as much hard labour now I'm head. And I get my afternoon nap too, I can tell you!"

"How many drudges work the laundry?" asked Josis.

"Ten on each shift, dearie – I mean, craftsman – plus myself" Saskia said promptly.

"I don't take offence at being called dearie providing it's not done in front of junior apprentices" said Josis. "That's no more than a Hold of comparable size employs and all working one long shift; I'll be glad if you are willing to see why YOUR system is efficient enough not to need all the drudges' efforts all day."

Saskia sniffed.

"Reckon you know already, craftsman; 'cos I can see it in your eyes. And if you don't why, I'll tell you! It's job satisfaction, being valued by the Master, and not being exhausted all the time. Stands to reason, girl OR man that's worked two thirds of every day is only giving a third of their ability 'cos they're dead tired."

Josis nodded.

"And so I have surmised and never been able to say anything. But one day I'll be a Journeyman and I hope soon too to be a dragonrider. And if I have observed your efficiency I can put in writing my observations that, for all your knowledge, the people who need to know will never take more notice of than your word, where they will listen to a Rider and Journeyman."

Saskia nodded.

"Aye, that's the way the world wags, dearie. And it's no good my resenting it! Though I'd like to see some of these fancy types that despise my knowledge but use my products put in a real day's work!"

"Well, they couldn't, of course" said Josis. "Though some can learn, you know!" she hesitated briefly, then told Saskia her story and Vorinia's.

"Now THAT's a real lady" Saskia approved. "Reckon as how Journeyman Sadvia could put in a day's work too in any Hold; her family are no fools! I wasn't counting them along side fancy types, you know!"

oOoOo

Making lyesoap was a fascinating, if rather lengthy, business. First hardwood needed to be burned slowly to make ash; and water dripped through it in a muslin bag to extract the lye that would turn fats into soap.

"Now what fat you use will determine what sort of soap you get" Saskia explained. "And it can be vegetable oil too; we get a lovely hard soap from the oil of the almond tree, pressed from the nuts, but we have so few that it's rare and our most expensive, especially as the Healer Hall buys almond oil too, to make salves with. Lard makes a good basic soap and we use lard soap in the laundry. You can add other oils, and oils from herbs to help people with skin conditions. Berry wax adds to the hardness; making soft soap is easy, any cotholder's wife could do that if they were shown the basics! Getting it to harden is the trick. And for safety, dearie, there's a jug of vinegar here, if you get any lye or raw soap on your skin, the vinegar takes out a burn."

"It burns?" Josis was taken aback.

"Oh aye, same as agenothree can!" said Saskia. "And we've found that vinegar counters the burning. And you MUST get the quantities of each part just right; too much lye means that even the soap itself can burn the skin!"

"It's a craft subject in itself" said Josis, impressed.

It was fascinating watching the lye bring the fat to trace, a line trickled on top of the mixture with the stirrer lying there after heating and beating the lye and fat together. Saskia set Josis to making her first batch with basic dripping from the kitchen, cheap and easy; and it came quickly to trace.

Soon she had her soap cooling in moulds.

"Tomorrow you can come and cut that into bars" said Saskia. "Then we wrap it in a blanket to cure for a few sevendays."

"It takes longer than I realised" admitted Josis "but I must say, I feel a real sense of achievement!"

Saskia beamed.

"It can be quite fun – especially experimenting with what you can add" she said. "I've talked to Saralla about things for people with skin troubles and so on, and Runa liked to experiment too. I kind of look on it as being in her memory to try new things. I do a lovely rich one with caprine milk in it – oh it does make your skin feel nice, I can tell you!"

"I look forward to making that!" said Josis.

oOoOo

Josis thought long and hard; and presented herself once more at Master Bendarek's door.

"More problems, my dear?" Bendarek was concerned.

Josis shook her dark red curls vehemently.

"No sir; not PROBLEMS. More a- a proposal, I suppose; because of something that I've found that I think is unfair."

"Indeed? You'd better tell me about it" said Bendarek, motioning her to take a seat. Josis sat, frowning slightly in thought.

"Well, sir, obviously you are aware that a byproduct of the craft is lyesoap that is made in the laundry" said Josis.

"Yes indeed; and profitable it is too. The smithcraft invented the concept before we split from them" nodded the Master.

"Did they? I didn't know that. But did you know, sir, that it is NOT a casual sort of craft but a highly skilled occupation, as meticulous as mixing finishes and varnishes and the proportions of the ingredients vital to make soap that is safe and to have various properties?"

Bendarek blinked.

"No, I did not" he said. "Go on."

"It is very skilled" said Josis. "I wanted to know how to make soap – with my background, it interests me – and I asked Saskia to teach me. Sir, that woman has put her own time into experimenting on hard, soft, healing and all kinds of soap; and – and I know it's interfereing, but I think that the craft should teach this as an aspect of woodcrafting and that Saskia should have the acknowledgement of Journeyman's knots. She's very knowledgeable and skilful and too an excellent teacher!"

"I see" said Bendarek. "Well, I'll not make a decision purely on the say so of even a new Journeyman; but I hear your words and I shall certainly look into it" he nodded dismissal.

"Thank you, sir" said Josis, leaving.

Master Bendarek's assurance to look into it was worth more than the solemn promise of many others to do something positive.

oOoOo

Bendarek went at once to talk to Saskia, apologising that the craft had neglected her expertise.

"It's always been the laundry as makes the soap, Master" said Saskia "And two types there always was, laundry soap and washing soap. But Runa and me, we got talking before she was murdered; and I carried on experimenting. Saralla has used some of my soaps for wounds, that help stop infection when washing them, with thyme oil in; and if you make soap with different herbs it's better for different types of hair, you know! and you have to put a little vinegar or citrus in with hair washing soap too or the hair remains dull and hard to handle."

"I didn't know any of that" said Bendarek. "Do you use precise quantities?"

"Yes, sir; and I kept notes on pieces of misshapen paper to remind me" said Saskia.

"I would like to see your notes" said Bendarek. "May I take them to peruse at my leisure? I promise I shall return them as soon as possible."

"Of course, Master!" said Saskia, going to a cupboard that she unlocked with a key hung round her neck. It contained, Bendarek noted, mostly bars of soap carefully wrapped, those for use within the laundry and a few others, and sundry other pieces of laundry equipment. The leaves of notes were on a top shelf and smelled faintly soapy as he took them with a word of thanks and a raised eyebrow of surprise over how extensive they were!

oOoOo

Another Masters' meeting was called.

Benden red and cakes were served, which forestalled any grumbles about yet another extraordinary meeting from the outset, which had been Elissa's suggestion to the Master through Gerney when Gerney had raised eyebrows over another meeting.

Bendarek considered it very useful having a Journeyman who had been trained by Weyrwomen married to one of his Masters and looked forward to a time when Elissa might be made up to Master too.

Meanwhile, with his staff replete and mellow, he indicated a pile of leaves written in a careful, semi-educated script.

"Masters all, would you feel that anyone who had produced this quantity of notes on a new aspect of the craft, all done in their own time and all valid information regarding their personal interest deserve the knots of a Journeyman?"

"It looks extensive work, even taking large writing into consideration" said Challer.

"I can see a chart drawn on one sheet" said Tirris "Which argues a careful approach."

"Which aspect of the craft is this, and why are you being cagey, Ben?" asked Gerney.

Bendarek laughed.

"I didn't realise I was being cagey, Gerney! The craft is soap production – and I never realised that soap was not just soap!"

"Of course soap is just soap! What else is it?" demanded Jaben.

"Soap is no more just soap, Jaben, than a joint is just a joint it seems" said Bendarek, hastening on as the Jointcrafter started to look outraged at the very idea of suggesting that a joint might be just a joint. "Soap for washing clothes has to be different from soap for washing hands, which is different yet from the soap for washing hair; and that apprentice with eczema on his hands, who had despaired of being able to craft, had his eczema mightily reduced by using a specially made soap as well as the cream Saralla made; meaning that we do NOT lose a craftsman" he said. "Saralla also uses a special soap to wash wounds that promotes healing and prevents infection. And she would never dream of washing her hair with the same hair soap as Sadvia uses, as their hair type is different. It's important to women."

"Not just women" said Tuon. "The laundry can make up a soap specially for dry hair that keeps my head from itching. Marvellous stuff! Anyone who has written a treatise on soap making so they can use it to make any soap has MY vote as Journeyman."

"Vain creature!" laughed Gerney.

"Not at all! I had terrible dandruff and now can you see any?" Tuon bent forward.

"I take your point" said Gerney. "Yes, that has to be more comfortable! I take it, Master, you've discovered some apprentice beavering away and have a mind to promote him – or her?"

"I do have it in mind to promote the writer of these notes" said Bendarek. "And have classes too if there are no objections to introducing this as a new aspect of the craft. ARE there any objections?"

"None from me" said Tuon. "Though you might make it an optional class after an initial taster, at first at least."

"An excellent suggestion" said Bendarek. "Jaben?"

Jaben shrugged.

"Well if everyone else is agreed… if it's as complex as you say. The laundry did make a good soap to remove varnish from my fingers, I suppose."

"Good" said Bendarek, looking around at nodding heads. "That's agreed. So I shall raise former Chief Laundress Saskia to be Journeyman Soapcrafter; because she has shown herself well capable."

There was a slightly shocked silence.

Then Gerney nodded.

"Never waste talent" he said. "Anyone who can come up with notes like that – and on her own time, too – deserves Journeyman's knots. I approve wholeheartedly!"

"And what is more" said Bendarek, "I'm going to make her up at the same time as I make up Josis – and have Josis walk her, since it was Josis who suggested it and opened my eyes to how we were neglecting this aspect of the craft!"


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Master Tuon approved of Josis.

He appreciated any pretty girl, but he had rather stood back from Josis since his embarrassing proposal to Sadvia. Marriage was not really on Tuon's agenda, and he had partly proposed to Sadvia because of her social rank. Tuon liked the idea of being associated with the Ranking.

It was therefore a healthier Master-apprentice relationship that he had with Josis; and he felt her to be a real craftsman, actually better than Sadvia at most woodcrafting disciplines! That her favoured skill was his own subject, marquetry, and associated forms of decoration like parquetry and pyrography, was flattering of course; but with all his faults, Tuon could be utterly fair. It was one reason Bendarek blinked at his somewhat promiscuous behaviour. He was, after all, only promiscuous with the willing.

Tuon smiled at Josis as she came in to his workshop work on a project.

"I hear you spoke out for Saskia's skills" he said.

Josis gave a brief nod.

"She deserves recognition, in my opinion" she said, a trifle defiantly.

Tuon nodded enthusiastically.

"And in mine! I had no idea that it was her experimentation that helped cure me of dandruff! I have every admiration for the woman, she should be given recognition as you say" he said.

Josis brightened.

"Sir, do you think she'll get her knots?" she asked.

Tuon looked cautiously around.

"It's not to be announced yet" he said quietly "And don't tell anyone – especially Saskia – but yes, she will. As you proposed her I don't think it's too indiscreet to let YOU know."

Josis beamed.

"Thank you for letting me know, sir, I'll keep it under my hat! I'll be leaving before the Journeymen walk in any case" she said.

Tuon blurted,

"Did you know that you're walking early?"

She nodded.

"Master Bendarek told me; I was cheeky and asked if I should delay leaving" she told him, "He said that it was to be kept quiet."

Tuon inclined his head.

"You're not exactly a gossip, Josis; I don't believe in keeping secrets for the sake of keeping secrets. Only for nice surprises!" he grinned.

Josis grinned back.

"I hope it IS a nice surprise for Saskia! Not an awful shock having to change, as it were, her whole outlook!"

Tuon was startled.

"I hadn't thought of that" he admitted. "I'll tell you what; I'll see her and let her know that the Master is hoping to recognise her achievements without being too specific how he plans to do that."

"Thank you, Master; you ARE a rock!" said Josis, who liked the vain Master, faults and all. In truth he reminded her a little of Vorinia in the old days, but without the terrible temper, on those days when everything was going her way, when she could be carelessly generous through the vanity.

oOoOo

Tuon strolled out to cross the yard to the laundry. It was hot and steamy as always, but the atmosphere was quite pleasant as people went willingly, even cheerfully, about their tasks. Tuon decided to ignore the sally that was passed that Master Jaben's trews had been patched using a dovetail and what appeared to be a long running, and faintly smutty joke about tongue-and-groove that was only funny because one could never imaging Jaben involved with anything that could be described in even the loosest fashion as smutty.

"And what can I do for you, Master?" asked Saskia, trying not to sound exasperated for being interrupted whilst trying to teach two garrulous new girls how to fold a sheet and simultaneously distract them from the off-colour jokes in the background.

"Oh, I'll wait out of the way until you have time for me" said Tuon, who could pick up suppressed irritation well enough. He leaned himself against the wall to watch the laundress patiently take the girls through the process. The presence of a Master in the laundry dried up the jocular comments fairly effectively, which helped the new ones to concentrate, which was some relief to Saskia, even whilst wondering what the Master wanted. She put him from her mind to apply herself to the task in hand.

Tuon reflected that Saskia would make a good teacher, as she had more patience than he had! It was one of Tuon's saving graces that he was aware of his own faults and occasionally even tried to correct those he considered worth correcting. He really worked on his patience! He enjoyed having an amorous nature however and left that severely alone.

When the sheet was folded to Saskia's satisfaction, and the girls set to try another on their own, Saskia came over.

Tuon smiled.

He also let his eyes appreciate the young woman. She was attractive in a neat, precise way, from her shining black hair to her tiny feet. Tuon liked attractive women and was perceptive enough to note neat curves behind the voluminous apron.

"I wanted to thank you personally, Saskia, for my hair soap" he said. "I had no idea that it was your invention; I thought it was just a laundry thing from time immemorial. And I must say, I'm impressed."

Saskia blushed.

She had asked around for herbs to help dandruff when the handsome Master had put in a tentative request; and was glad it had paid off!

"I'm so glad it worked" she said, shyly. Saskia was not used to feeling shy; she was also not used to receiving praise and compliments from mighty beings like Masters, and this was the second Master in one sevenday who was complimenting her. And he also looked at her as a man looks at a woman, not at a drudge! Not that Master Bendarek looked at her disparagingly, but he looked at all his people equally, with respect for their abilities, which was not as personal! And nor was it the sort of look those who preyed on women had, Saskia knew about those sorts of men. The odd Journeyman had thought that a laundress would be easy and could be taken with impunity, and the burning lye had been very useful as a deterrent, and no complaint made since Master Bendarek would have given such a man short shrift. Tuon smiled, and it was a smile that was genuine, not automatic.

"It's perfect" he said, speaking of the hair soap. "It leaves my hair feeling – and looking – loads better. I dare say you make soap for your own hair too? it's got a lovely sheen."

Saskia coloured, and nodded.

"Mine's greasy, so I need different herbs" she said. "I use what I make up for Journeyman Sadvia. I'll have to see about sending her some, there'll be none in that egg-forsaken Weaverhall I don't suppose!"

"I'm sure that there'll be plenty of messages from Elissa to Sadvia that she'll talk a dragonrider into taking, and the soap too!" laughed Tuon. "You know, the Master is pretty impressed by what you've done. He wants to recognise your efforts; and I shouldn't be surprised if he asks you to recommend another chief laundress so you can devote all your attentions to soap making!"

"Well, I wouldn't mind THAT at all" said Saskia. "Laundry work plays flying shards with the hands, even with plenty of lanolin on them! Sheep oil, that is, from fleeces; it makes a rich, oily soap. I use it to keep my hands as soft as I may… but you don't want to know about that, Master!" she added hastily.

"Oh yes I do!" said Tuon, taking her hand and examining it. "Those scars show some nasty lesions, but your hands are pretty soft for being in water a lot – did you heal the lesions with soap?"

"Not entirely" said Saskia. "Saralla gave me a cream of comfrey and sheep oil, and I use it too in the soap I make the girls use for themselves. As I make them oil their hands with sheep oil too, so they don't get lesions."

"You're a good, caring woman" said Tuon. "Not like Ruika."

"Oh, RUIKA!" said Saskia. She repossessed her hand firmly.

"I should think you may be asked to do some teaching too" said Tuon, casually. "You teach your underlings well; I'd be glad to endorse your skills to the Master."

She coloured again.

"Thank you, Master" she said. WHAT was wrong with her, blushing like a chit in her teens!

Tuon regarded her with an unfathomable look; then he smiled and nodded.

"Well, thank you again" he said. "And perhaps you'll permit me to learn something of your craft too?"

"I – I'd be honoured!" stammered Saskia.

oOoOo

Tuon sat in his office, considering.

She was a desirable woman; but part of his code was to avoid putting any of the support staff in an invidious position. He flirted with older female apprentices and with female Journeymen, but he only ever went further if one of them made it clear that this was what she wanted. Sadvia had been a mistake based on his very real liking for the girl and his desire to be Ranking.

Being Ranking was never really likely to happen!

Tuon was a wealthy man; marquetry and the other decorative arts paid extremely well. And as a Craftmaster ought to be considered the equivalent of a man of Rank, that did give him position. Tuon certainly considered himself to outrank any thirtysecond-ante Holder with little more than a large cothold to claim to Hold, like Prelaia's father, whose title 'Holder' had so impressed H'llon's idiot brother Kislan. Well, reflected Tuon, he was well punished for his foolishness in being married to that tunnel snake Prelaia. And Kispre's skill would reflect on Gerney and Elissa, for craftsman born he undoubtedly was, however much he might dislike decoration, and wicked the things Kislan had said about him.

However that was neither here nor there; it was about his own situation that Tuon pondered, his and that of Saskia. If she were a Journeyman – or rather, when – he might court her appropriately.

A practical, caring, woman like that, he might even go so far as to marry her!

Tuon felt quite flustered; maybe it was the heat of the laundry, far more sultry than the hot summer's day, but he was certainly feeling quite hot and bothered!

Tuon decided that he must not start any courtship until after Saskia's confirmation as Journeyman; there were enough unpleasant tongues to say she had slept her way to Journeyman's knots through cosying up to Masters. Tuon was alive to the more poisonous parts of gossip – generally he figured strongly in them – and whilst he would shrug and laugh over gossip about himself, he felt himself desirous of protecting Saskia from cruel tongues!

oOoOo

Tuon took himself to see Bendarek,

"Josis was concerned that being made Journeyman out of hand might shock Saskia, Ben" he said without preamble "And I concurred. Oh, I know I should not have discussed it, but the girl is discreet enough and she cares."

"And taking a personal interest probably asked you outright and you answered without thinking" said Bendarek, not really surprised. "She's H'llon's cousin right enough!"

Tuon laughed.

"A lot easier on the eye – at least, from my point of view!" he said.

"You're not having a crush on her, are you?" asked Bendarek. "She's so focussed on her work and on the Weyr I doubt she'd notice anyone with romantic urges even if he stripped and lay down in her bed!"

Tuon grinned.

"That IS like H'llon! No, I like her, but I've no feelings of that kind… I just like women to be easy on the eye, and to make the best of themselves. Even the plainer ones can be pretty if they make the effort and are contented… I'm off the topic."

"If women come into things, Tu, you generally are" said Bendarek, not unkindly. "What IS the topic? Oh yes, not shocking Saskia."

"I went to see her, ostensibly to thank her for my hair soap – and that was no lie anyway" said Tuon. "And also to say that you wanted to recognise her abilities and would probably ask her to name a successor so she could devote her time to soap making and that you might expect her to teach. Did I do right?"

"You could almost be related to H'llon yourself, asking me that after the event!" Bendarek laughed. "Yes, you did right; I was going to say something similar to Saskia myself. Well, I'll ask her formally who will be a good replacement and ask her to get the said replacement up to speed over the next couple of months so she can devote her own attentions to soapmaking in time for the Winter Gather. That I think will sound reasonable."

"Thanks, Ben" said Tuon. He hesitated. "Ben, I am REALLY attracted to her."

Bendarek groaned.

"Don't further complicate matters, Tu, please!" he said.

"No, Ben, I mean I really AM attracted to her… She makes me feel like an apprentice in the throes of first love,"

"You never had the throes of first love, you had first, second, third and fourth all at once as I recall, comforting to the best of my recollection an absent Journeyman's wife, his eldest daughter and two logger's daughters all at the same time" said Bendarek.

Tuon blushed.

"I was a proddy little beast, wasn't I?" he said.

"WAS?" Bendarek raised an eyebrow.

"I do NOT now go with married women unless the marriage has patently broken down, nor would I have the lack of tact to sleep with both mother and daughter or a pair of sisters! Well, not unless they liked the idea of a threesome" he amended.

Bendarek gave a shout of laughter.

"I do admire your honesty, Tu!" he said. "Are you telling me it's serious?"

Tuon nodded.

"And I want to wait to say anything until she confirms as Journeyman because I don't want unpleasant gossip" he said earnestly.

"Have you any cause to think she's also attracted to you?" asked Bendarek. Tuon nodded.

"I know women well enough by now" he said.

Bendarek considered.

"Then romance her now anyway" he said. "Don't let her think it's only her knots that attract you! To – to the place we don't mention," he amended what he had been going to say for the sake of his little bronze firelizard, " – with gossip. She's stronger than to be hurt and the rest of us will back you. Besides, technically the Head of Laundry counts as equivalent to a Journeyman anyway; though few people see it."

"Most people see her rank as drudge overseer" said Tuon "And it's not prestigious like being Headwoman. I don't want her to feel pressured."

"If you think she's attracted to you, she won't feel pressured" said Bendarek. "Just…oh, just do what feels right and try to stay out of bed – or at least use herbs – until after I confirm her as Journeyman. And then if you want to wed her, we can have a nice big wedding supported by the Masters to show our approval."

"Thanks, Ben" said Tuon. "I never thought SERIOUSLY about marriage before, you know…I was a fool to propose to Sadvia. Not that I don't really like Sadvia, because I do, but…"

"But you got bowled over for the wrong reason" said Bendarek "And I wager you had drunk too much too!"

"Well,,,,yes" Tuon admitted.

oOoOo

Tuon met Saskia as she came off her main shift for a rest.

He had every intention of asking her to come for klah with him and chat about crafting; but Saskia was caught unawares walking almost into the tall, well built blonde Master, and blushed, her breath rushing in at a gasp as he set her senses reeling.

Tuon himself gasped.

That was a response beyond what he was used to; and suddenly he was kissing Saskia.

She clung to him and pressed herself against him.

He lifted his mouth from hers, shocked by the intensity of the feelings coursing through him.

"Shells, Saskia, you make me feel like an inexperienced boy on his first date!" he gasped with raw honesty.

"Master… you make me feel good!" Saskia's eyes were dark with the dilation of her pupils.

Tuon took her by the hand; and led her to his rooms.

"Klah or…." He glanced at the bedroom. Shells take it, he was trembling!

So was Saskia.

She undid her hair, tightly confined in a plait, so it cascaded down her back in a stream of ebony.

Tuon buried his fingers in it, and kissed her again, hungrily. Then he picked her up and carried her into his sleeping room. Saskia clung to him; and started to undo his belt.

oOoOo

It was late when Tuon and Saskia stopped their loving long enough to actually look at each other and talk. Saskia gazed up at him uncertainly.

"What happens now?" she asked.

"I want to wed you" said Tuon simply.

"That – that's rather sudden" she said.

He blushed.

"So was… what we just did. I don't…."

She nodded.

"I know. Normally you enjoy the game….Master, I want to get to know you better if you really want to get to know me better."

"Call me Tuon, Saskia; it's my name" he said, touching her face.

"Tuon…we don't know each other. I – I mean, I know ABOUT you, quite a lot… and I've noticed you…."

"And I've wasted turns greening about, not noticing you noticing!" cried Tuon. "All right, if that's what you'd like….I can't quiet what you've awakened to promise to keep it platonic, you know."

She blushed.

"I wouldn't want you to….Tuon…." she reached out for him.

He gasped.

The evening shift of laundry went entirely unsupervised.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

The sheets were heavily and bloodily stained.

"Oh my dear, I'm sorry, I didn't check if it was your time!" said Tuon, aghast. "Did I hurt you?" he asked in concern.

Saskia shook her head.

"It isn't my time… I think that happens the first time you… well…"

He stared in horror.

Tuon usually picked partners who were experienced!

"The first….you mean…but I don't…" he stuttered.

She gave him an impish grin.

"You didn't seem to mind at the time" she said "And I guess now it means that in future I won't be as messy."

"Oh Saskia!" he was appalled. "I made assumptions – made no allowances…what you must think of such a lack of consideration!"

"I think we had a really good time and my Master taught me most excellently" said Saskia, blushing. "You see, when I first came to the laundry, five turns ago, I – I saw you, and…well I never saw another man I could fancy half so well…"

Tuon kissed her tenderly.

"Five turns? I've wasted five turns? But Saskia! We have a lot of time to catch up on!"

She nuzzled at him.

"That's as may be, but I have work to go to! I'll strip the sheets, Tuon, if you'll stay in just a quilt, and I'll see them washed discreetly…I won't let anyone make unpleasant gossip about you."

He laughed shakily.

"And I wanted to talk to you to say I didn't want anyone making unpleasant gossip about you – at least that was what I intended before things got out of hand!"

She brushed his face with her fingertips; and bundled up the sheets efficiently.

"You'd better go back to sleep" she said. "It's an odd euphemism, sleeping together, for we've done precious little sleeping!"

"What about you?" he was concerned.

She laughed.

"A change is as good as a rest!" she quipped. "I don't have to work with sharp tools; it matters less!" and she was gone.

Tuon only needed a light quilt over him for the cool of the very early morning; and he lay on his back, savouring everything about Saskia, from her shining hair, lovely eyes, to the pleasant, clean scent about her, dozing lightly and with pleasant dreams.

oOoOo

Saskia got through her work in a bit of a daze, reviewing in her own mind everything about her unexpected lover, from his experienced touch to the scent redolent with different woods that mingled with his male musk.

It cannot be said that she concentrated as thoroughly on the laundry, save for Tuon's own sheets, as was her normal custom.

oOoOo

The new batch of paying students arrived, another three girls and three boys, and the routine of settling them into their own craft hut under the retired crafters was established now, and the Woodcrafter Hall mostly ignored them. Josis was glad she would not have to have anything much to do with them; having had to deal with some of the sillier fosterlings Tragen and Kaili had taken had been quite enough for her!

Josis, studying in her free time with a rather preoccupied Saskia, and working hard with an almost equally preoccupied Tuon, put two and two together.

"Master, have you found true love?" she asked. "If so, I'm so happy for you both! You need someone clever and witty like Saskia who can see further through a stone wall then most!"

"Is it so obvious?" Tuon was startled.

"Only because I'm studying with her as well; and because I'm a logicator" said Josis. "There's a faint smell of laundry about you and she has a scent of wood in her hair which kind of confirmed things."

Tuon shook his head, amazed.

"You logicators! I'll have to suggest to Saskia that we join; she IS bright, isn't she? I guess she could add plenty to logicating, and I don't want to be left out."

"And with a meticulous craft like marquetry, you'll be a good observer, I'm sure!" said Josis, loyally.

"Well… I hope so" said Tuon.

His main motives were to make sure Saskia had the protection of friendship with the logicators who seemed to be at the centre of most things. He had never, himself, joined; first, because he had written it off as a kid's game, and later, when the logicators had shown themselves to do really useful work he had been unwilling to seem to jump in on the bandwagon. Moreover Tuon HAD got a bit of a selfish streak; and had been somewhat unwilling to put himself out for anyone else who was not a special friend or favoured apprentice.

He found himself very ready to put himself our as much as it took for Saskia!

oOoOo

The logicators welcomed the two new members with genuine enthusiasm.

"Though you must set aside your rank and authority at the door, both of you" said Elissa, welcoming them in.

"Well, I have none to set aside" said Saskia.

"As chief laundress? You have considerable rank!" said Elissa crisply. "Certainly enough to cuff any apprentice being cheeky to you! Only here we are all equal, from the newest apprentice to the most senior Master. And you won't get too many scrubby apprentices who aren't seniors, because we have a junior branch and let them loose practising logicating on the unsuspecting!"

"And a good job that they did, for Dorelly's sake" grunted Gerney.

For the information of the new members, Elissa quickly outlined the rescue of her cot's drudge from rape and torture from the one-time Master, Batol.

"I always knew there was something unpleasantly peculiar about him" said Tuon.

"He tried to ask me out once, after his first disgrace" said Saskia "But I'd seen him before, watching Ruika beating one of the girls; and I saw his eyes all lit up and his palms sweating. It scared me; even if he'd attracted me – which he didn't – I'd have avoided him after that!"

Tuon ground his teeth and he squeezed Saskia's hand.

"Heh, doesn't take a logicator to see the state of affairs between you two" said Elissa. "Congratulations; we wish you the best!"

Saskia blushed; and Tuon coloured too as he felt his face split into the sort of daft grin a boy Tirlo's age might wear!

"Now we've joined, do we get to hear about last Turn's poison pen letter?" asked Tuon.

"Poor kid, it was one of the paying girls; she was being sexually abused by her own father and was doing it as a cry for help, to get noticed" said Elissa. "Her father was secretly homosexual, but being forced into convention and marriage it warped him, and if he hadn't been treating his own daughter like a loving-boy I might almost have felt sorry for him having to perform with the wrong sex for his preferences. He had some odd idea that only a sex that can't conceive is the sign of pure love, the message hammered home to him that he must do his duty, marry, and have heirs totally blinkering his views. We left it all in the hands of her overlord; Lord Groghe is a straight sort of type, and fond of children too, not likely to be sparing of creeps who hurt them."

"Oh, Riona's from Fort; she seems like a nice girl" said Tuon, naming one of the newest arrivals of the paying students. "They've been no trouble yet, anyway, any of them – well, not too much. Tagenar thinks he's the dragon's uncle for being son of a Loghold Holder but I soon disabused him of THAT idea. He's quite imaginative though, so there's hope for him. Elinden has a sharp tongue on him, but I think he'll grow out of it and learn a little kindness, he's a cynic as only a teenage boy can manage to be."

"We half thought of getting him to logicate" said Tirlo. "He has a brain and he sees things. But he's b-busy sneering at apprentice games so we h-handed him over to the junior logicators to irritate."

Tuon was amazed how much less Tirlo stammered when speaking confidently about what he knew.

"TIRLO!" said Elissa, reproachfully.

Tirlo and Teerel gave her almost identical grins.

"They'll only take retribution against him if he disrespects a senior they like" said Teerel.

"Which he's bound to do b-because he c-can't resist" said Tirlo with a wicked chuckle.

Elissa sighed.

"Oh my giddy auntie! I dread to think what they'll do! That's Ambreen and Sheesha you let loose on that boy!" There were two more grins and Elissa rolled her eyes up in resigned exasperation. She snorted. "Well, I don't want to know; Tuon, summarise the others; I've had Gerney's comments on them and I'd like to hear a second assessment."

"What, a less dour one?" Tuon glanced with a sideways grin at Gerney.

"I was agreeing with the two you've spoken of so far" said Gerney. "Only when Tagenar said to me 'My father's a Holder, you know' I said 'And mine's a Brown Rider. I win on points for that and I also win on points for being a Craftmaster now sit down or I'll make it too painful for you to do so'."

"Direct and to the point" said Tuon.

"He irritated me" said Gerney, mildly.

"Do tell! Anyway," Tuon went on, "the other boy Lirril is a whining little bagpipe with too much interest in other people's business and a built in fear that he's somehow not being given as much respect as them. I told HIM that if he planned to take more notice of the work of others than of his own or of my pearls of wisdom he need not come back to my class another time."

"Funny; I said much the same myself" said Gerney.

"What, not warned him that you could grind a thumblength off his nose?" quipped Tuon.

"I don't have them on lathe – not a chance!" said Gerney. "But I told Arkis I'd split the free carving classes with him as he's in charge for his first turn."

Tuon nodded.

"That was decent of you, Gerney. Ah, of course, they're with him now – that's why he's not here! I bet he misses Isimy in dealing with those self important younglings! All right, I'll move on to my thoughts on the girls. Jainda from Ista; nice kid, carefree, happy, obedient. She's keen to go to Igen Weyr for a Green dragon and I don't see why she shouldn't succeed in that" he glanced at Elissa and the young Journeyman nodded.

"Her power is good – yes, I CAN read that – and I like her attitude. I had a chat with her and I think she'll do well."

Tuon nodded, pleased that the weyrbred Journeyman agreed with him. He went on,

"Riona, I mentioned in passing, a nice girl; stylish, neat-handed and careful. Never gets in a flap, but I'm afraid that's because there's not enough between her ears to panic."

Gerney gave a crack of laughter.

"Truth is cruel!" he said. "I'd have said, myself, that her head was packed with soggy sawdust; explaining a point to her is like hammering in one of Jaben's cheese nails!"

There were chuckles, and Saskia quickly had it explained to her that Ambreen and Sheesha had played a prank on the irascible master of carving tree-nails from cheese to replace the maple ones he had prepared.

"Those girls are cautions!" chuckled Teerel. "Even when we had Kamar as part of our group, we were never THAT bad!"

"It'll live in the annals of prank history though" said Tuon. "Pompous old fool deserved it in my opinion!"

"Heh, you and he don't exactly get on" said Elissa mildly.

"I know the last paying girl" said Saskia, suddenly, aware that changing the subject might be a good idea. "Are you leaving her to the last for a reason, Tuon?"

"I dislike her intensely" said Tuon. "Caldana applies the time she wastes from her work to the adornment of her person. I mean, I believe in anyone making the best of themselves, but she preens in every mirrored surface and squeals about risking her nails; and she's infernally arrogant on top of it. How have you managed to come into contact with that creature, Saskia-love?"

"She wanted a girl assigned to her personal laundry. I refused her; and she slapped me."

Tuon ground his teeth.

"What did you do?"

"I slapped her right back. I told her she was only a paying student who had no right to interfere in crafter business, and if she did go to Master Bendarek – as she was threatening, as though it ought to make me fear – then he'd throw her out for her insolence. I know the Master backs all his people. Then I told her that the next time she came interfering in my domain, I'd decide her dirty tongue needed a good washing with lye soap. She went away screeching retribution, but I never heard any more about it" shrugged Saskia.

"She complained to me, and I gave her a good spanking for her impudence" said Elissa, calmly. "I LIKE your style, Saskia!"

"I didn't overstep my rights did I?" Saskia was anxious.

"No, you fardling well did NOT" said Elissa. "Heh heh, I'd love to see you teach soapmaking – it's a good Holder's skill in its most basic form I'd think – to young snots another turn. YOU'D have no difficulty with keeping discipline!"

"It's difficult sometimes" said Tuon. "An apprentice, however cheeky, isn't going to egregiously cheek a Master; he – or she – risks being thrown out in disgrace. And for most that'll bring down the wrath of parents as well as depriving the child of a better livelihood than grubbing in the fields or screwing ovines. I mean, tending herds" he added hastily.

"We all know what you meant" said Gerney. "No comment."

Tuon grinned sheepishly.

"Well, anyway, apprentices ARE subject too to discipline as if we were their parents and can be made to do extra work, put on water rations and so on. The Ranking brats have, many of them, the idea that they're better than others for their birth. I guess I always based my idea of the Ranking on Lord Asgenar and his relatives; like Kyal and Sadvia. But they're…." he ran out of words.

"They're properly behaved Ranking brought up with the concept that Blood obligates" Elissa finished for him, "Yes, some of these kids have the idea that Masters were provided solely for their own amusement and instruction; the ones who also treat their Hold Harpers as servants. Sending them home means much less to them than to an apprentice; if they're that spoilt, daddy will soothe them and sympathise that the naughty woodcrafters did not appreciate poor little Kylarathella enough."

"I like the name" said Tuon. "Has it occurred to you that they were sisters, Kylara and Thella?"

"Half sisters, anyway" said Elissa. "And so is Lady Famira; it doesn't necessarily follow. Unless you look at the concept of them being strong minded women trammelled by their male relatives with double standards, the women feeling trapped and building up towering resentment… I guess Kylara saw T'bor as being trammelling too because he wanted a cautious approach, and objected to her promiscuity. A senior Weyrwoman is supposed, if she can't manage to be monogamous, to at least be discreet."

"Are some Weyrwomen monogamous then?" asked Saskia, ingenuously.

Elissa laughed.

"Oh, only most of them! Some women, like some men, just have greater…appetites. They need a very special mate to be the only one to satisfy them" she flashed a glance at Tuon. "Our resident Lad seems to have found his. I hope" she added.

"I believe so" said Tuon, quietly. "I've been looking all my life; and trying out plenty to find perfection. I found her."

"Oh, bless!" said Elissa, as Saskia blushed becomingly.

"What I saw at High Reaches Weyr, to return to monogamy" said Gerney "Was a mass of old married couples. Only some of their old married couples are two men; because it is a fact that some men prefer other men."

"And it suits Green dragons therefore" said Elissa. "And some women prefer women; there's a Green-Blue weyrmating at High Reaches of two women. I do wish people would just accept things the way they are and get over the idea that people with different preferences must be going to force themselves on others – it's ridiculous."

"And preference has nothing to do with how predatory or otherwise people may be" said Gerney. "Some men rape other men; some women rape other women. Some men rape women. Some adults rape children. Some people rape. That is the only sexual behaviour the Weyr finds abhorrent: rape. And all violation of children must be rape as they are too young to have reciprocal feelings and urges."

"You logicators are very open, aren't you?" Saskia was amazed.

"The things we've seen we've had to learn to put things in the open" said Elissa. "You've surely heard of what that woman Sandrina did to Tahnee, Lianka, Beka and Amula?"

Saskia nodded.

"Ruika told me, when it first went around, that Sandrina had been expelled the Hall for tying a female apprentice to a lathe, stripping her and thrashing her half to death after making her turn a- a thing to put inside her that Sandrina used on her" she blushed.

"I make them to sell to bored Holderfolk's wives" said Elissa. "It's a jolly profitable sideline."

"Elissa!" Gerney was shocked!

"Why not? I had a woman ask me for one; and when I figured out what it was that she wanted through her circumlocution I didn't see why not. Women desire pleasure too, and I gather her husband thrust a few times, grunted, and rolled over to sleep. If she can pleasure herself she's less likely to get frustrated enough to break the home by taking a lover, or murder her husband, and as long as he's an adequate husband in other ways, everyone's happy" said Elissa. "These holderwomen have a husband picked for them by their parents as often as not, and no choice in the matter. And judging by some of the comments I've had they mostly sell to women whose men are NOT generously proportioned."

"ELISSA!" Gerney was blushing.

"If I were you, Gerney, I'd just take that as a compliment and not make an issue of it" said Tuon, dryly.

Saskia was burning red, but giggling beside him.

He had no fear that SHE would ever want one of Elissa's special products.

"HHHrrrrm, break for klah?" suggested Teerel.

"Excellent idea" said Gerney. Tirlo whispered in the Lathemaster's ear; and Gerney burned red again and gave him a two fingered cuff to the back of the head. Tirlo chuckled.

oOoOo

"What did Tirlo say?" asked Elissa afterwards.

"Suggested I spank you!" said Gerney, grimly.

Elissa grinned, demurely.

"Perhaps my Master should at that" she said.

"Minx!" said Gerney.

"And you knew THAT when you married me!" said Elissa. "Seriously, love, there's a world of difference between that sort of love play – and being able to joke about it – and the serious beating that afforded Sandrina and Batol their pleasures."

Gerney nodded. Elissa was right to take Tirlo's teasing further, to help him more in dealing with his problems over Sandrina, dealing with having once admired her as another lover of the lathe, that admiration, infatuation even, turning to horror and hatred when he had discovered her in the situation Saskia had described. Playing games did not have to be wrong – so long as they were to the taste of both. Gerney drew Elissa to him to give his wife a thorough kissing.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Saskia asked Tuon rather shyly if she might learn marquetry.

"I'd be delighted to teach you" he said. "I have visions of us selling beautiful bars of soap in boxes made to size… though I think perhaps fretwork lids might allow the soap to dry out after use, and lined with stone so the dampness does not spoil the wood."

"It sounds pretty!" said Saskia. "I love looking at the things you make, they are all so pretty! I always look at the stall to see the Master-made pieces and see the lovely things you make."

Tuon had the tact not to mention that she did not, perhaps, yet know enough to know good marquetry from bad; but he was touched that she tried to see his goods.

Saskia would never be a great marquetry artist; any more than Tuon would ever be a great soap maker. But each had enough talent to understand the craft of the other, and that was what they really wanted! And Tuon also started showing Saskia how to make the basic joints for boxes, how to care for her tools, and other basics so that none could say that she was a Journeyman who had no other craft skills once her posting had been declared.

Saskia was working on a piece of marquetry when the paying students came in for a class. Though she had only started recently, her work was already better than any of them except imaginative Tagenar; whether this was through individual tuition, her desire to please Tuon or natural talent in the craftbred, Tuon preferred not to guess.

The Ranking stared curiously at the young woman quietly getting on with her work.

Riona nodded politely to Saskia; and Jainda grinned cheerfully.

"Have we a new class member?" asked Tagenar. "She's not half bad either" he added appreciatively peering at Saskia's work. "Best girl I'VE ever seen."

"That's because you haven't seen the work of true apprentices, my lad" said Tuon. "And in particular those who take it seriously not merely as an extra skill as Saskia here does. The dragon flying on the box you were peering at yesterday was executed by a little girl of thirteen. It's the difference between true dedication and the fiddling about with wood you paying students do. Though you might be VERY creditable, Tagenar, with enough application. That however is in your hands. Saskia missed out on marquetry classes before, she's just adding it to her skillsets at a matter of some interest to her."

Caldana was peering at Saskia.

"She's no crafter, she's only the laundry maid!" she said, in disgust.

"I suggest you apologise for your tone to the Hall Soapcrafter" said Tuon, coldly. "She has also been overseeing the Hall laundry since the death of the previous chief laundress it is true; and were she chief laundress without craft acknowledgement of her skill she would STILL be a more important person in our eyes than a bumptious brat like you."

"I'm not going to apologise to a drudge!" said Caldana.

"Jainda, please fetch Journeyman Elissa for me" said Tuon, pleasantly "As I cannot administer physical punishment to a female."

Caldana gasped.

"But I've not DONE anything to be punished for!" she squealed, memory of Elissa's last slippering of her humiliatingly close.

"Excuse me? Disrespecting a craftsman is nothing? Disrespecting our Hall support is nothing? I don't know what stinking tanner's vat you get your ideas from, my young lady, but we do NOT put up with the airs and graces of the jumped-up brat of a sand-blasted cotholder here!" said Tuon, coldly. "Apology – or Elissa's slipper."

The Tannercraft Hall lay in Igen and Tuon could not resist making reference to it.

"I apologise" said Caldana, sulkily. It was less humiliating than being well spanked again, and she had no doubt that Elissa would not insist that the others should leave.

"So I should hope" said Tagenar. "One must have standards of behaviour to underlings, my girl!"

"Agreed in principle" said Tuon "Save that Soapcrafter Saskia is NOT your underling but outranks the lot of you in our eyes. And if you plan to remain here, all of you, it is OUR rules that count."

"YOU'RE pretty quiet – Soapcrafter" Caldana turned on Saskia.

Saskia looked up indifferently.

"I don't bother to take any notice of the foolish maunderings of silly children in a class I do not teach" she said. "It is Master Tuon's class, and his responsibility. Excuse me, Master, children, I have other things to be doing, even if you foolish younglings wish to waste your own time and the Master's with chatter when you could be learning" and she got up, putting her work in the drawer assigned to her, and walked out.

"And distinctly nice of her not to add 'ill bred' as well as 'foolish' to the word 'maunderings' murmured Journeyman Liemi, who was assisting Tuon.

"And what do YOU know about breeding?" snapped Caldana.

Liemi elevated an eyebrow.

"Oh, being the son of a Holder of a Hold three times and more the size of your father's little place, I have some idea, my good brat And by the way, I require an apology from you for not calling me 'Craftsman' or 'Journeyman' when you address me and for speaking so rudely to me, or I shall also report you to Elissa."

Caldana choked.

"I'm sorry – Journeyman!" she snapped.

She had got out of bed the wrong side that morning with a vengeance, and had been snapping all day, having already been rude to Relina, the housemother, wife of ageing Journeyman Willim. Relina had quietly asked if Caldana's temper was because of the time of the month and had been sworn at.

Relina did not take that lying down, and had exited sharply to get a piece of lyesoap to thrust into the girl's mouth 'to clean it up'.

Which only served to make Caldana's temper fouler.

The girl had expected to make all the crafter girls envy her and follow her lead, doting upon her for her Rank and beauty; and had found only one older female apprentice there, and that one took not the slightest notice of her. The bevy of younger girls who might be expected – in what Caldana would reckon as a reasonable world – to be fascinated by her only stared and giggled as she flounced her hair and smiled winningly at them. The outside of enough had been when she had tried telling them tales of her glamorous life as a Holder's daughter; and one of them had said,

"Please, Paying Student, I don't think Cousin Asgenar likes me talking to people like you."

Caldana was looking for someone to hurt.

When she later saw Saskia bring klah for Master Tuon and brush his hand she thought she had her mark.

oOoOo

Caldana approached Saskia as the Soapcrafter left the laundry.

Saskia's eyes narrowed.

"What now, Caldana?" she asked crisply.

Caldana flushed angrily.

"You will call me Lady Caldana; and unless you drudge for me I shall tell Masterwoodcrafter Bendarek that you're warming Master Tuon's furs!"

Saskia stared. What a poisonous creature this female was!

"Are you insane, girl?" she demanded. "You really seem to have no concept of reasonable behaviour!"

"I'm warning you!" said Caldana.

"And I, my girl," said Saskia grimly, "Am warning YOU: any more of this aberrant behaviour and you will find yourself not only sent home, but sent to your Overlord for judgement for malicious gossip. I don't know how Lord Laudey deals with it, but I assure you that Lord Asgenar is not lenient on – blackmail, I think the term is."

"You asked for it then!" cried Caldana, flouncing off.

"Stupid wench" said Saskia to herself.

Even without the support she was being given for her skills, she knew that the Master never interfered with the affairs, or even affaires of his people so long as they were discreet and nobody was being forced into anything unwillingly. It might be an ugly scandal; crafters were less free about sexual relations than Weyrfolk and some Holderfolk, but Tuon was, as she admitted to herself, a little notorious for his affaires. Besides, he planned to marry her!

Thinking of this brought a frisson of pleasure to Saskia; and she went in search of Tuon to tell him Caldana's latest. One thing she had always observed about Tuon was his essential honesty; he never pretended to feel more just to seduce a girl, so she KNEW his love was genuine; and she revelled in it!

oOoOo

Bendarek listened to the spiteful outpouring from the Ranking girl whose pretty face was so twisted in hate that she looked quite ugly.

"You are trying to suggest that Master Tuon is playing fast and loose with a laundry maid and is playing Soapcrafter Saskia false? Is that what you are saying?" he asked, feeling confused.

"NO! That Saskia girl is sleeping with him, I'm sure, and she uses that to make us treat her like she's somebody, not just a drudge!" screamed Caldana.

It took a lot to make Bendarek angry.

Sometimes however it did happen.

"How dare you, you filthy-minded slut, interfere in the relations between Crafterfolk?" he demanded. "Master Tuon and Journeyman Saskia are betrothed – not that it is ANY of your business – and I am revolted by your disgusting imputation that there is any wrong-doing or that Master Tuon would act in any way incorrectly out of partiality! If you have been calling the Soapcrafter degrading names, with your own conceptions placed upon them, I admire both her and Tuon for their restraint in not boxing your ears until your empty little head rings! DO YOU HEAR ME?"

In point of fact the echo of his voice could be heard all the way up to Challer's mill, it being a still day and the mill temporarily silent for maintenance work.

Caldana winced.

"But – but she can't be a Journeyman!" she whispered.

"Excuse me? Are you trying to tell the Master of a Craft whom he and his Masters may or may not ratify as Journeyman? You go too far!"

"I – I – I meant, she was working in the laundry! Like a drudge!"

"And you would expect a soapcrafter not to test her own product? You have no brains in that silly head of yours, my girl! I think four times as much of my newest, youngest drudge than I do of a horrid and stupid girl like you! You are a disgrace to Rank and a shame on your Blood! I will be putting in a report to your Overlord about your childish, meretricious officiousness and your spiteful meddling! Now get out of my sight and go and pack; there's a group of traders leaving this afternoon, you can travel south with them!"

Caldana stared.

"But – but the Hall has a dragon!" she said.

"Whom I respect too well to send you home on!" roared Bendarek "I don't want the poor creature poisoned by your presence!"

Caldana fled before his wrath!

oOoOo

Bendarek sent a message asking Saskia to come to his office.

Tuon came too.

"If that nasty tunnel snake has been telling lies about my betrothed, I want to know" said Tuon.

"Oh, she has. I've sent her home" said Bendarek "And I'm holding the rest of the half turn's fee as compensation for her slanderous tongue. It should take her, oh, three to six weeks to get there Trader-pace. Maybe more. Time to reflect on how much I do not like interference with my people."

Tuon brightened.

"Thank you, Master" he said.

"I suppose you two couldn't have waited?" Bendarek sighed. He did not doubt that they were intimate from the way hands strayed towards each other.

They exchanged a look.

"NO!" they both said.

"Ah well. Saskia, I was planning on giving you Journeyman's knots along with Josis; I'm bringing that forward to tonight. I wanted it to be a nice surprise but I'll not have my people treated with disrespect. Everyone else thinks of you as a Journeyman – so we might as well make it official."

"S-sir? Me?" Saskia stammered.

"You. It's been ratified by the Masters."

"Tuon? You knew?" she turned to him.

"I too wanted the surprise for you…I wondered if you'd guess; I don't pursue girls who feel they can't say no. You know that."

"It wouldn't ever have stopped ME, Tuon, if I'd not liked the idea" said Saskia. "I'm not afraid to stand up for my rights; I've defied Ruika, you know. And….well, it did sort of just happen; there wasn't any pursuing about it."

Tuon reddened and smiled down at her.

"Oh go and order your wedding gown; you're almost as nauseatingly tied up in each other as Gerney and Elissa" said Bendarek cheerfully.

oOoOo

The Master made the announcement at the evening meal.

"It is customary to make up Journeymen at the time of Autumn; but the time has come, because of certain unpleasantness, to acknowledge with formal knots a crafter who has been considered for a while to be effectively a Journeyman by the Masters, but who had perhaps some confidence issues that I was waiting for her to resolve. I think she has resolved them well. Journeyman Soapcrafter Saskia is going to be teaching this new craft and will, I feel certain, be declared the first Master of the craft as the only real expert on Pern! Walk, Saskia!"

Journeyman Liemi, his own promotion a little irregular, had volunteered to walk Saskia to the Journeyman table from the apprentice table where she had been sat next to Josis for this meal.

"And while I'm at it" said Bendarek, when the clapping had died down from those eager to try a new craft – if not, in the case of many of the smaller boys, its product – "I may as well make up another Journeyman who is deserving, and who will be leaving us before the Autumn as the Hall's candidate for the Weyr. Josis, Walk!"

Josis got to her feet somehow, her eyes shining; and Saskia claimed the privilege of walking her!

The children clapped loudly; Josis was popular with the little ones.

"This is, I remind you, extraordinary and should be taken as no precedent" reiterated Bendarek "but I am glad to say that we shall be celebrating with bubbly pies!"

The cheers were even louder perhaps for bubbly pies than for new Journeymen; as was hardly surprising.

Tuon stood.

"One more piece of good news" he said. "I wish it to be known that I am to be wed to Journeyman Saskia who has done me the honour to accept my proposal."

"Hope he didn't kneel in runner dung this time" said a clear treble from the junior table.

Tuon burned.

Elissa stood.

"Thirty lines on a failed sheet of paper, best hand writing, 'I will keep a civil tongue in my head' to give to me by after breakfast" she said.

Ambreen choked and looked sore.

"Serve you right" said Sifora "Idiot!"

oOoOo

"Did you kneel in runner dung to propose to Sadvia?" Saskia asked later.

Tuon looked uncomfortable.

"You know? Oh dear. I – well, she's pretty and glamorous and – well, I suppose I wanted what Gerney has with Elissa as a crafter wife. And I liked the idea of being related to Lord Asgenar by marriage… and I was drunk" he added.

Saskia touched his face,

"I love your honesty, Tuon" she said. "I've no rank; and I'm not really a woodcrafter though the marquetry is fun. Are you sure you really want me?"

"Oh my dear!" he pulled her to him, "You are feisty and clever; and as much a crafter as anyone here – more so than many for being so inventive! It's not just the wonderful loving we do together, I love chatting with you, discussing the craft; and logicating too, now! I'm vain, I'm a snob and I've been a womaniser; and I don't suffer fools gladly. But if you'll have me with all my faults I want no other woman!"

She hugged him fiercely.

"I know your faults, my dear – and your virtues! Your honesty, your kindness, your tact; and I'm no paragon! I've wanted to tear the hair out of the girls you've been with; I have a hot temper and I don't suffer fools at all, let alone gladly!"

He laughed.

"We appear to be admirably suited then!" he said.

"Then you ought to be kissing me" she retorted.

The Marquetry Master complied readily to the Journeyman's suggestion!

Saskia knew that Tuon would not stop appreciating pretty women; and she accepted that. Appreciating was one thing. But he had given his word that she was woman enough for him, and that Saskia believed. Tuon did not lie.

And she was the happiest woman on Pern!


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

It was odd, in a way, Josis reflected, being a Journeyman. Suddenly, she thought, I'm all grown up and with responsibilities! She said so to Elissa.

Elissa laughed.

"You were all grown up before and ready to take the responsibilities" the Lathecraft Journeyman said. "It's one of the things that defines you as ready to be a Journeyman! I mean, interfering over getting Saskia recognised as a Crafter, it's the sort of classic cheek I thought only I was capable of!"

Josis flushed, but chuckled.

"Right is right" she said. "I'd been denied my right to be a crafter – and there she was, patently a crafter, and a fardling good one too!"

"Which is why your constructive interfering paid off. Oh, I don't use the word pejoratively!" as Josis looked uncomfortable. "Only what else can you call what we nosy, interfering, logicator types do?"

Josis laughed.

"Taking an interest?" she suggested.

Elissa pulled a face.

"How milk-and-water! Sounds like a Lady Holder putting in an hour a week visiting the Holdless to show willing, with her handkerchief to her nose!" she laughed.

"Mm, I see what you mean… all right, I confess I can't find a better word than interfering. Some people do use it pejoratively though" said Josis.

"Oh, but they're the ones who would use it pejoratively even if we had a better word" said Elissa cheerfully. "Some people will always hate the idea of logicators, mostly those who have something to hide."

Josis grinned.

"And that's Faranth's own truth!" she agreed. "I think it's all right to interfere and so does the Weyr so I guess I shan't be in trouble there either!"

"Mm, I can just see you marching off to see T'bor to explain how a fellow candidate needs their parents to be sorted out" grinned Elissa. "Although if you take my advice for that sort of sorting, go to T'lana or R'gar first; or to Pilgra for administrative questions – or Keerana, the headwoman, she rules the Weyrfolk with a rod of iron and we all love her! Or go to any Queenrider for advice."

Josis nodded.

"The etiquette is different yet" she said. "Soon I'll have had experience of Hold, Craft AND Weyr; that has to be fairly unusual, I guess!"

"It is; and gives you worthwhile insights in to the differences – and similarities!" said Elissa, seriously. "Which will be of great help to the logicators!"

oOoOo

Gradually the season was turning as Saskia and Josis got used to their new knots. The sun was not so fierce at midday, and there was a chill in the air first thing in the morning. The afternoon sunlight was golden in hue, gilding the broad leaves of the deciduous trees even before colours other than green started creeping into them as inexorably as the turn of the seasons themselves. Saskia and Josis found themselves close to Elissa as a fellow logicator as well as a fellow Journeyman close to them in age.

"Clutch'll be laid soon" said Elissa. "We'll be sorry to see you go, Josis, though of course we wish you well! You and Saskia have both added so much to the craft."

"Well, she had, anyway" said Josis. "I've not really added much."

"Oh, only moveable wooden locks, a treadle-driven fretsaw, and drawing the attention of the Masters to Saskia's remarkable achievements!" Elissa laughed.

"I suppose that does sound moderately efficient really" admitted Josis "Though I did the locks and the treadle saw for my own interest."

"And so did Saskia keep notes for HER own interest; and that adds to the craft. It's more than most people manage, my girl, and don't you forget it!" said Elissa. "And it's nice too to have Saskia as a logicator and a friend now you've dragged her into the limelight. I really wish I had spoken to her a couple of turns ago when I was investigating Runa's death. Which shows that even the head of our logicators here – me – can be led astray with assumptions. Saskia had told Journeyman Tull that Runa had killed herself because Ruika had said so. I'm afraid" she smiled at Saskia apologetically "I put you down as an empty-headed gossip easily swayed by Ruika without even meeting you."

"An easy enough and reasonable enough assumption to make, dearie" said Saskia cheerfully. "Let's face it, I had no reason to disbelieve what Ruika said – that the people who brought in Runa's body found her hanged. I ran to tell Tull, not in the spirit of gossip, but to warn him before he heard gossip report it in a twisted way. I knew who Runa had been seeing; and whilst I deplored Tull's treatment of his wife, it takes two to tumble and the girl knew what manner of man her husband was when her brother forced the wedding at spearpoint. How DID the logicators know that Runa had been murdered? I assumed that she'd been worn down by Ruika and the baby made her depressed, I've seen that happen."

"That makes a kind of sense" said Elissa "Especially as you knew how Ruika might wear someone down. Did you never hear the story then?" she was mildly surprised "Ah, well, I suppose the Master sat on the gossip. You see, it was Gerney and I who discovered her, a rather shocking end to what had been a romantic foray. She was hanging from the branch of a tree. Her feet were at waist height, but there was no ladder or stool she could have jumped off. It would have been a stiff climb to have climbed the tree both to tie the rope to the branch and then jump off it, especially in skirts. And there was no moss from the tree on her clothing. Suicide was out of the question. The knots were amateurish, and when I cut her down I could see finger marks on her neck too. Ruika actually gave herself away by saying that the people who brought her in had found her hanging. She was cut down and I'd removed the rope before the stretcher party arrived. And I already knew it was murder – double murder, her and her unborn babe" Elissa's hand strayed briefly to her own belly. "It was horrible; that a mother should be so vicious towards her own child, and care so much about a little thing like illegitimacy!"

"It's not a little thing to most crafters" said Saskia. "And that's the problem, I guess. I know Runa was going to brave it out; I thought she'd lost heart and I was so sorry because I admired her for it. DO admire her for it, because she didn't lose heart. I'd like to think I'd have the courage to do the same."

"And like me, you don't need to; your man is happy to wed you" said Elissa.

"Oh yes; but if he had crooked his little finger I'd have lain with him any time and Thread take the consequences" said Saskia. "Being a figure of speech there; I'd not expose an illegitimate baby to Thread."

Elissa sighed.

"Well at least in the High Reaches the dragonmen are encouraging girls to leave their babies with a sign if they don't want them, so they can be cared for. And by the way, I'd have gone to Gerney on any terms too. But I'm weyrbred, so that makes you the braver. Have you parents?" she asked.

"My father's a logger. My mother died when I was small. I was passed around the few loggers' wives for my upbringing – I was happy enough, nobody made me feel unwanted – but when my father made noises about it being time I was wed, and said that he had a good logger in mind for me, I upped sticks and left. I had been washing clothes for the loggers for turns so getting a job in the laundry of the Crafthall was simple, especially as I was technically craftbred" she shrugged. "That was five turns ago. I'm twenty two and a Journeyman and best of all I have a man who loves me and respects me. I wager my da will be opening his eyes wide when he reads the letter I wrote him! What more is there for life to offer, really!"

"Babies?" grinned Elissa.

"Oh, babies will happen in their own time; and I'll foster them out too, because if I'm teaching a new craft I shan't be able to give them the time they deserve" said Saskia. "I've asked Tuon to have one of my aunties collected – the note to my da is with the trader who's fetching her – to see to it. She was a widow and as tough as old boots but kindly; she did most of the raising of me. It'd be an easier life for her here too now she's not so young, and I'd like our children to be raised by her."

Elissa nodded.

"It's good to keep it in the family as it were" she said. "Gerney's mother is going to help me with any that we have, during their infancy at least."

"Be sooner rather than later, I'm thinking" said Saskia, casting a significant glance at Elissa's belly.

"Oh, I was right then" said Josis.

Elissa flushed becomingly.

"I lost one last turn; about a turn ago in fact. Not planned, I have to say! This one is planned, but I dare not hope yet, you know… it's just a couple of months gone."

"Well we'll cross our fingers!" said Josis. "And of course, you'll both write to me in the Weyr?"

"Gladly" said Elissa. "Probably a sort of logicator epistle by my hand and with comments from everyone. Boys do NOT write willingly or with facility!"

Josis laughed.

"That's Faranth's truth!" she agreed.

oOoOo

Redlan was also regretful to think of Josis going.

"I'll miss you" he said, blushing.

"You've been a good friend to me" said Josis. "I appreciate you and your uncle's hard work in helping me to catch up; I guess I couldn't have had a better substitute brother if I'd had one for real."

Redlan flushed deeper.

The pangs of first love for him centred around Josis – though he would have died rather than admit it! To be thought of as a brother was both a pleasure at the affection that implied and a torture that she did not reciprocate or even realise his carefully hidden passion!

Josis knew very well how Redlan felt; she had suspected it for a long while. It seemed to her that he would get over it better if he believed that she had never known how he felt. He was just sixteen and a half, three turns younger than her, and he still had a lot of growing up to do. Her embrace was warm; and sisterly.

Josis also found time in the whirlwind of preparations to leave to visit Master Bendarek.

The Master affected a look of mock alarm.

"Now what?" he demanded.

Josis grinned, sheepishly.

"I AM interfering cheekily again" she confessed.

"Well, well, my dear, perhaps one day you will bring me news not history!" the Master laughed, pouring klah for both of them as he waved her to a seat. "What can I do for you this time?"

"It's Redlan" said Josis. "I know his work is up to standard to be a Journeyman; and he'll have had his seventeenth birthday by the time you make people up. But he's a little young and I thought he might – if you did make him up – do better having to fend for himself in a small Hold for a turn before he went back to help his uncle."

Bendarek grinned.

"Have you heard the phrase about teaching your grandmother to hunt tunnel snakes, my dear?" he asked, not unkindly.

Josis flushed.

"I'm sorry Master! Only I know him so well…."

Bendarek nodded.

"I always like to hear the assessments of my journeymen on apprentices who are in the running for promotion, though the decision to make up an apprentice lies with a majority vote of the Masters; and from what I have seen of the lad, I concur with your opinion. I was thinking a relatively quiet Hold with no problems would suit him very well. There's a small Hold called Fleecytops Hold; it's in the High Reaches but not near enough to his Uncle to conveniently visit. The Holder is a good man and has sons, the oldest of whom is Redlan's age. He'll make him welcome but expect him to work as hard as he does himself."

"That sounds ideal; thank you Master" said Josis. "Sorry to interfere."

"Oh you have a very constructive brand of interference my dear" said Bendarek. "I'm sure a dragon will soon be waiting for you; so sure that I'm not even going to waste my breath suggesting that you take a teaching post at Threewoods Crafthall if there isn't a dragon for you."

Josis flushed in pleasure both at his certainty that there would be a dragon for her, and his confidence in her that he would suggest a teaching post if there was not – and at a Hall which had had its troubles and would want only the steadiest of Journeymen!

"Thank you sir" she said.

oOoOo

The news came at last; a clutch at High Reaches Weyr, including a Golden Queen egg!

"Will you stand for the Queen?" asked Saskia, her eyes filled with awe.

"High Reaches etiquette is that all females – except some of the youngest – stand for the Queen," said Elissa, "to give her the widest choice. Some who are too modest to put themselves forward make fine Queenriders. Those who choose also stand for Greens."

"I wouldn't want to be a Queenrider" said Josis. "But if it's etiquette I shan't make a fuss about it, I'll stand. And if a Queen chooses me, then I guess I'd have to adapt to it."

"That's the spirit" said Elissa.

"Well, we'll miss you; but we wish you the best" said Saskia. "Is that your dragon lift?"

Elissa squealed with pleasure as she glanced up at the dragon that had winked out of _Between_ and was lazily circling down.

"It's Nefrith and L'sya! HOW appropriate!" she cried.

Nefrith landed neatly.

"Heya, Cousin Josis!" said L'sya. "Nice to meet you – er, I think that's nice to meet you again, I THINK I met you when I was a pre-harper babe!"

"Sounds about right" grinned Josis. "I'm glad to meet you PROPERLY, Cousin L'sya."

L'sya had hugs and kisses for both Elissa and Saskia; she had of course known Saskia from her own time as part of the support staff.

"Congratulations Journeyman Saskia!" she said. "You presented all your experiments then?"

"Josis demanded that the Master look at them" said Saskia. "And so he did. And…" she blushed fierily "I'm getting wed."

"What, you got over your crush on Tuon?" grinned L'sya. "Just as well; man's like a Green on heat."

Saskia blushed deeper.

"He – he is just – he – we…"

L'sya stared.

"What, you LANDED him? Well, I'll be ground into shards and scattered!" she said. "Uh, I'm thinking fidelity might be an issue here, not to dampen your enthusiasm but…"

Saskia scowled.

"Won't be a problem" said Elissa laconically. "The man's going around like a cross between a lovelorn apprentice and a stuck wherry. He's got it bad; she'll hold him. He's just been greening around until he found the right one."

L'sya whistled.

"Well, I'm surprised – but delighted!" she said "And my apologies for doubting him, Saskia; you go for it! C'mon now cousin, let's load you up and ship you out – and good luck to you, Saskia!"

oOoOo

The Weyr was so beautiful from the air, stark against the myriad greens, golds and reds of the trees that covered the mountains around it, the few mountain ash and maples starting to turn colour earlier than in more clement Lemos and further on with their autumnal finery.

Once they had landed, the atmosphere seemed friendly too; people smiled at Josis cheerily as L'sya dropped her off at the Weyrwoodcrafter Hall – in an old Queen weyr – to meet the other woodcrafters.

She had heard about them all from H'llon, and later about some of them at least from Elissa; Elissa did not know D'lin or V'lie, nor Diccon, all new to the Weyr since the Journeyman had left. Radall she knew by tales as well as T'fer, equally large in Elissa's stories and in the annals of the woodcrafter logicators!

T'fer held out a hand.

"Journeyman Josis! The first and last time I intend to be formal amongst ourselves! Master Tuon writes that he sends me a better than competent decorations Journeyman for teaching what is NOT my speciality, and Gerney tells me that you made a treadle fretsaw!"

"I do hope to teach marquetry and other decorative skills" said Josis "AND soapcrafting! I'm not that good yet, but the new Soapcrafter is a friend of mine."

"Well, you DO get about!" grinned T'fer. "Well, they're a good bunch here – and our unofficial apprentice, K'star – which is just as well since Vith has been taking up a lot of my time!"

The half-grown dragonet was a brown so dark as to look black on the shadowed parts of his soft skin. As Weyrwoodcrafter, T'fer and his dragon were entitled to the main weyr from which the woodhall had been built; and Vith was taking an interest.

"We look forward to you being a colleague in all ways" said V'lie, smiling. "But L'sya had better take you over to the candidates' barracks for now! You'll do exercises and lessons with R'gar in the mornings; and do woodcrafter duties after the noon meal. Logicator meetings most evenings, unless there's music; the Harperweyr are very good! I play with them sometimes as a bit of accompaniment, though I'm not to their standard of course!"

L'sya led Josis away; just in time to see a Bronze dragon land with a golden haired passenger and a large young man in addition to the Rider; and a little girl.

Josis cried out in delight!

She recognised the golden haired passenger straight away as Vorinia, and Jado almost as quickly. Vorinia had written about her attachment to the big stable lad, and of their fosterling, Dorine, who had been rescued from a freak show, because of the soft hair that grew all over her body.

"VORINIA!" Josis called.

The girl, who had just got down, turned; and started to run, before prudence and a twinge of pain pulled her up short. Josis did the running instead, and the girls embraced.

Then Josis bopped down to say 'hello' to Dorine, who regarded her solemnly.

"Vorinia told me about you" said Dorine. "You're her bestest friend on all Pern. Will you love me too?"

"Of course I will, poppet!" said Josis. "Why, I'm almost your auntie now!"

Dorine beamed, and hugged her fiercely.

Josis was crying with pleasure.

It had been fun at the Woodcrafter Hall; and she had relations there, which was good. But here was her REAL family – and it was like coming home for the first time ever in her life!

**Finis**

****_Ok, I've been a bit disrupted by events surrounding Fenella so I may not get together with another as quickly as I had hoped - however I have been looking over suggestions some people have made about following up peripheral characters, and I had started work on that. I'm hoping that I'll get my head back together sometime soon so if you have anyone you want to see more of, do PM me. _


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